The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans

This is a great movie that showcases nick cage at his finest. He is a great comedic actor and when the situation is right hits it out of the park!! Unfortunately lately hits severe hit and mostly miss. He takes on 2 many roles to dedicate himself to playing a role better. This movie shows the genre he is perfect at!!! Also great supporting cast as well. As far as comparisons I actually like this version much better than the original.

Nicolas Cage - an Oscar winning actor in Werner Herzog's movie "Bad Lieutenant" which has nothing to do with Harvey Keitel's 1992 film, goes absolute crazy in some scenes, but not as furious as he can. These limitations can be for good, to keep movie's tone in check. And there are no reasons to break drama genre and go bizarre into even more comedic and crazier tone. Because comedy is a pretty usual thing in this flick. Cage's character Terence McDonagh is a drug addict, very reactionary, he is frightening at times, because of what he is capable of, but inside he is a good , selfish person, who just seeks a way out. He has this back problem, taking pills, which aren't helping, he basically takes his own medicine ,using cocaine mostly with his prostitute girlfriend Frankie (Eva Mendes). After a group homicide of several immigrants Detective McDonagh is assigned to investigate. This and his personal problems lead this character into an interesting ending. Watching the movie you can't dislike Terence, the direction is really effective to make us care about, at first look, a scum like McDonagh. The plot goes many unexpected ways. Thanks to screenwriter William M. Finkelstein, who definitely wrote an engaging script.

After loosing the main witness for immigrant's case, McDonagh goes rogue, uniting with the drug-boss, to make some quick money in order to pay debts and save his girlfriend from what she got herself into. That lead to a group of absolutely unexpected events that are not to be estimated anyhow. Nic Cage's character is that chemical element, provoking those events as he becomes a completely different person throughout the film.

The humor in this film is one special part that I enjoyed the most. Not only McDonagh is a guy who threatens helpless old people, but does it with style, and with script's emotional help by making those old people not only victims but villains in that scene, which is it absolutely funny, because emotionally you expect and want McDonagh to do so.

There no much action in this film, at some point it becomes a little fantasy of a drug addict. Moments of him, seeing dancing sole and stuff like that makes this movie even more bizarre, but Herzog doesn't overuse scenes like that, so to make this movie a good combination of drama, comedy and addict's fantasy.

Many will look at this and will think that it is an action thriller about a cop trying to solve the murders of 5 people in New Orleans and that is a basic idea of what the film is about. 'Trying' is right word to use; Nicolas Cage's characters is deeply flawed and is taking drugs to ease his back pain, which he got for saving a prisoner in a flooded prison. He has no interest in bringing the people responsible to justice.

It is difficult to describe what happens in the film because it is so different from other films that I have seen. If you have seen Werner Herzog's other films then you will like this maybe not as much as some of his other films but there is a lot to like. Nicolas Cage gives a fantastic performance and is clearly back on form after the likes of Next, National Treasure and The Wicker Man. The rest of the cast also do a good job but the focus is on Cage. The chosen location of New Orleans suits the film well and the cinematographer does a good job showing it. The script writer must also be credited for providing the film with interesting pieces of dialogue even though its difficult to tell what was improvised and what was not.

This film is not for everyone though since the trailer shows it as a more of an crime thriller than a drama. If you are not a fan of art house films or films that have an offbeat sense of humor then you might not enjoy it as much as those who do. Those who watch this film and liked it will be able to find plenty of things about the film that represent something else. There is clearly more to this film than what is happening on the surface.

If you do choose to watch this film then go in with an open mind as there is a lot to like but I can't guarantee that it will be for everyone.

Bad Lieutenant, The: Port of Call: New Orleans (2009)

**** (out of 4)

When it was announced that Werner Herzog would be remaking Abel Ferrara's 1992 film there was all sort of outrage with fans asking how anyone could remake a film as far "out there" as that. I think most of these complaints were from people who didn't know Herzog because if you did know his work you'd know he wouldn't just simply remake something. As was expected, this version has very little to nothing to do with the 1992 film so people can walk into this expecting something original. The film follows a simple storyline of a Lieutenant (Nicolas Cage) who is investigating the execution deaths of five people, including kids. He begins cracking down on known drug dealers in the area but he's also doing battle with his prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mendes) as well as his drug addiction to cocaine and heroine that is getting bigger by the hour. It's funny but the screenplay to this film probably would have fallen through the cracks had someone like Herzog not been behind the camera. That's not to say this is a bad screenplay but the entire investigation and all the side plots are pretty basic but it's thanks to Herzog's vision and Cage's performance that this film will go down as the wacky, over the top ride that it is. I didn't find the film flawless like some as a good ten minutes could have been cut out of the second act but the film is still very impressive. The important thing to remember going into the film is that you're about to see a very dark comedy so I guess one could call this the greatest comedy ever made about a drug-addict cop. Cage is what makes the movie because his performance here will rank as one of the greatest of his career. I think it has become easy to make fun of Cage and throw cheap insults at him but it's important to remember that when he's on fire he usually can't be touched by anyone and that's certainly the case here. Is he over the top? Sure but he's suppose to be. His performance is so dead on that you can help but look at him and feel that you're really seeing someone going through a major addiction. Cage's entire body seems to change shape throughout the movie as he grows more and more sick. The way Cage laughs at someone being called "G" is just priceless as is a terrific scene between he and an iguana. The supporting cast is very impressive as well with Mendes turning in a fine performance as the drugged out hooker, Val Kilmer as a psycho cop, Fairuza Balk as another cop and the always reliable Brad Dourif as a bookie. Herzog's vision is all over this thing and I really loved the overall look of the movie. I loved how the start of the film has the camera constantly moving, which to me was to imply the state that Cage's character was in with all the drugs. The film is a dark comedy and for the most part both Herzog and Cage go full steam to bring out the laughs and this includes a hilarious sequence with a couple old ladies with one on oxygen and others with Cage seeing things that aren't really there. The terrific cinematography and nice music score also add a great deal as do the worn down streets from the post Katrina days. This certainly isn't among the director's greatest works but it's still something very fresh and original and it really stands out compared to the other type of films being released today.

This film is not at all what I expected from Herzog - I haven't laughed so much in a long time during a movie. What we've got here is an over-the-top, crazy ride with the best Nic Cage in years. Funny little anecdote on the side (as told by the director, Werner Herzog): when Cage asked for advice on how to best approach his role, Herzog told him to go with "evil is bliss". Cage obviously obliged - and the result is hilarious.

This film got a lot of negativity because apparently, people expected a serious, dark drama (knowing the original, I did, too). Well, Herzog had other plans: this is a wickedly funny black comedy that borders on satire. Fantastic acting by all involved, inventive camera and just one hell of a ride. Herzog's most entertaining film to date and Cage's best performance in ages. 9 stars out of 10.

Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/