A drug-addicted corrupt cop investigates the murder of
a Senegalese family in post-Katrina New Orleans. CRIME/DRAMA
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Bad Lieutenant: Port
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Werner Herzog has a flair for the abstract, a trait that often takes away from the integrity of the story he's trying to tell. Oddly enough, his particular style coupled with Nicolas Cage's off-kilter acting method somehow works. Herzog's "remake" of Bad Lieutenant is a bizarre yet entertaining film that contains one of Nic Cage's last good performances before he became a caricature of himself in every movie post-2009. It deals with the immorality of the criminal underground and shows that the price of taking those criminals down is your own sanity.
This film features a number of recognizable faces in roles that are way out of their wheelhouse, including Val Kilmer as a sleazy cop, rapper Xzibit as a terrifying gangster, and Brad Dourif as a surprisingly reasonable bookie. The actors all fit their roles very well, rounding out a solid cast for a film that is built almost entirely on characters and their actions. Cage's role of psychotic drug-addicted lieutenant Terence McDonagh is perfect for his brand of crazy. He excels in the role, clearly enjoying himself as he does pretty much everything he can do to make you hate him. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a weird film with a great many shots of lizards and snakes, but also a solid interpretation of how corruption can be the best thing for your career in the police force. Nic Cage shows us one man's fight to play by his own rules and hold New Orleans by the cojones. At the very least, the film is a perfect vehicle to watch Cage lose his s**t in almost every scene, and who doesn't enjoy watching that? |
