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THE BAD LIEUTENANT Werner Herzog Starring Nicolas Cage Eva Mendes Val Kilmer 1992 saw the release of the extremely controversial tale of a nameless, drugged up, gambling addict police detective; the eponymous Bad Lieutenant. Nearly two decades later Werner Herzog has produced a reimagining of this original concept, with a much more approachable story and central character. The original was littered with risqué scenarios peaking with the rape of a nun and a rather sweary confrontation with a hallucination of Jesus Christ; Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call - New Orleans takes an entirely different, slightly reigned in, approach and in doing so creates a much more accessible film. During the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Sergeant Terence McDonagh happens upon a prisoner locked in the deserted police station. Rather than leaving him to drown in the rising water, he decides to jump in and assist; an action which damages his spinal column, resulting in a state of continuous pain. The prescribed medication is not nearly enough to cope with his suffering and as such, he makes connections within his own department to sneak out various hard drugs from the property/evidence room. As the drugs take more of a hold, his priorities become skewed and McDonagh finds himself assisting the homicidal gang lord he was originally attempting to convict. All the while, he has to juggle the various complaints and problems raised by his alcoholic father, stepmother and escort/addict girlfriend, Frankie [Mendes]. The plot itself is actually well executed. What should be a bi-polar mess of continuously flip-flopping decisions is handled in a manner that audience members should be able to follow without ever truly knowing whether McDonagh has a larger plan or if he is simply reacting to the moment. There was, however, one immense downside, in the form of the film's finale; granted, everything made sense but the very fact that each dilemma was resolved so quickly and conveniently in such a short space of time left for a somewhat rushed and almost insulting ending. So much so, that it nearly ruined the film for me. As a portrayal of the conflicting persona of an addict, this film works really well. Part of that is down to the energetic and hugely praiseworthy performance of Nicolas Cage - but more on that later. On top of that we have Mark Isham's moody score which sets every scene perfectly; I will confess, it was a little similar to his Pride and Glory score but I still enjoyed it. And finally there was the overall use of location throughout New Orleans that offered a different look and feel to the same old genre plot-threads. A lot of people are going to hate (or at least discuss in great detail) the 'croc-cam' work used once or twice and the extreme moments of sheer delirium. To explain, the use of snakes, lizards and crocodiles are employed at the height of McDonagh's madness but to the extent that Herzog opts to film the animals close-up with a tiny microcam. It's a strange combination of incredibly inspired and interesting camera work and a complete and utterly baffling (some would say unnecessary) break from the plot. I may be alone in this but I found it all excruciatingly uncomfortable. The camera pans over these lizards, forcing audiences to confront them; all the while Cage is simply watching and grinning in the background. I wouldn't necessarily say it was a negative concept but it certainly creates an instantaneous divide between audience members. But in my opinion the only real thing that hinders the overall success of this release is the resolution at the end. I understood what was being said and the message conveyed but I just didn't agree with the chaos balancing out so quickly and still feel that it utterly spoiled a rather impressive piece. Release Date: 21st May 2010 The Scene To Look Out For: Desperate to retrieve information on the whereabouts of a witness, McDonagh breaks into a retirement home and threatens an old lady and her carer by removing her oxygen tube. Once he's received the necessary information, he continues on his rant by pulling a gun on them both and screaming hysterically, "you're the fucking reason this country is going down the drain." Despite the description it's actually a very amusing scene. Notable Characters: Almost to the film's detriment, Nicolas Cage offers the movie's standout performance. By that I simply mean that because Cage is so eccentric and so over-the-top that the supporting cast have a difficult time keeping up and holding audience attention. But that aside, I believe this to be one of Cage's finest performances. Highlighted Quote: "You think fish have dreams?" In A Few Words: "Unusual, surreal and at times brilliant, Bad Lieutenant is a fairly standard crime drama elevated by great direction and a commendable lead performance" Total Score: 
7/10Matthew Stogdon |
