Guns, prostitutes, blow, hallucinogens, Nicolas Cage and iguanas triumph in Werner Herzog’s bold, fearless Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Featuring an over-the-top performance from Nicolas Cage and off-the-wall direction from Herzog, this film succeeds on all levels.
Set in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, Cage plays Sergeant Terrence McDonagh, a good cop gone bad promoted to Lieutenant as a result of his heroic acts in Hurricane Katrina. After injuring his back while saving a drowning man, McDonagh is jaded by his recent injuries, and picks up an addiction to prescription drugs, which turns into a cocaine addiction, which turns into involvement with lethal drug dealer Big Fate (Xzibit). As a result, murder, mayhem, and madness ensue.
Completing his tumultuous lifestyle is his relationship with a prostitute named Frankie (Eva Mendes). Their lives and what they want coincide – he understands that she is a hooker, and still loves her. They give each other drugs, sex, and affection, but most importantly – sympathy and understanding. McDonagh’s relationships in the film are multi-faceted. He has his father, who he’s close to, his partner (Val Kilmer, who does not add much to the movie) and the rest of the city. When he walks down the streets with his badge and his gun, he is the law. He calls the shots, and will do whatever it takes to do so.
Critics and fans alike have doubted Nicolas Cage’s recent pay-check influenced choices like Knowing, National Treasure: Book of Secrets or Ghost Rider just to name a few. However, they will all be pleased when they see him in this tour-de-force, where he was paid a miniscule amount compared to his mainstream titles (Bad Lieutenant was done with a meager budget) but churns out his best work since Adaptation in 2002.
Unfortunately, this movie is unlikely to solve his bankruptcy problems.
For Werner Herzog, this is another interesting entry in his comprehensive body of work. Having helmed many films over what is approaching a five decade career, it seems Herzog never fails to impress.
He does not do anything that Ferrara does in the 1992 Bad Lieutenant. This film is not a sequel, a remake or a re-imagining. It is simply a twist on the same concept of a crooked cop. Ferrara should be pleased with this fine effort.
Paced perfectly at 121 minutes, this film wastes no time and keeps the viewer engaged from start to finish.
It is my hope that Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans reaps Oscar nominations and wins, though that is somewhat unlikely due to its risqué nature and noir qualities.
While this film does not have “Academy” written anywhere on it, hopefully, they will be able to acknowledge Cage’s performance and Herzog’s direction, though it is highly unlikely. This is certainly not a film for everyone. It has many disturbing scenes, of violence, drug abuse, rape and murder – but it presents these scenes with style. While it may not get the Oscar gold, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a complete neo-noir cop story featuring a delightfully unhinged Cage, a courageous Herzog, excellent pacing, timing, and first-rate story-telling.
On a Connecticut College Camel Rating Scale, out of a possible four, I’m going to give Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans 4 Camels.
