Movie Review - Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Whatever you do, don't call this a remake. Herzog will kick your ass.

To call Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans a remake of the 1992 Harvey Keitel vehicle is misleading, especially since Herzog has never seen the it.  Herzog’s version is flat out trippy, almost goofy, and at times a work of genius that uses genre as seduction before crushing audience expectation. Morbidly funny with performances ranging from raw and unrehearsed to maniacally crafted and hypnotizing, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is brilliant and only faintly resembles the more dramatic “original.” 

For over 40 years Herzog has challenged traditional narrative filmmaking and more recently he has ventured into Hollywood territory.  From Grizzly Man, his award winning and fascinating documentary of the life and death of amateur bear expert Timothy Treadwell to 2006’s Vietnam era prisoner of war story Rescue Dawn starring Christian Bale, Herzog has continued to push when it comes to audience expectations and the constraints of genre.  Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans stars Nicolas Cage as a good cop turned drug addict who’s still trying to get the job done (and get his next fix) and is a provocative antidote to the standard dirty cop flick. 

The happy couple. Cage and Medes.

Injured during the rescue of an abandoned prisoner in lockup during the floods following Hurricane Katrina, Terence McDonagh (Cage) goes from good cop to bad lieutenant.  After his promotion for the aforementioned rescue and his subsequent addiction to anything and everything to alleviate the pain of his back injury, there is still enough good cop left in him to attempt to solve the brutal execution of an immigrant family.  Cage takes on a skewed posture and odd speech pattern as he indulges women, gambling, a little crime solving and stealing drugs from the evidence room.  McDonagh is a marvelously flawed character who struggles with the compulsion to tune out yet is driven to do right (sometimes).  Cage embodies this rich character with moments of obvious internal struggles and flat out madness – both states are equally as enthralling to watch.

The supporting cast makes for a few quirky and versatile performances. Jennifer Coolidge is both hilarious and tragic as McDonagh’s father’s wife, her self righteousness pairing well with her perpetual beer buzz and gut.   Other authentic but boisterous minor characters include Shea Whingham as a gangster’s son with an over top catch phrase and delivery and Brad Dourif as McDonagh’s bookie.  Eva Mendes plays McDonagh’s equally as addicted prostitute girlfriend with a real vulnerability and thoughtfulness beneath a sometimes trashy surface.  Rap artist Xzibit is notable as Big Fate, the story’s villain and Val Kilmer is nice to see on screen but underused as McDonagh’s subordinate.

Coolidge (left), out of the key light, but steals the scene anyway.

Scenes that might be perceived as sentimental or melodramatic are invaded (intentionally) by the sound boom.  At times it is unclear as to what is actually happening in the world of the film and what is being shown from the perspective of Cage’s drugged up character. There are obvious indications of his altered state like when a few iguanas show up during a stakeout, but also a few more subtle moments that might pass without notice.  We are pulled through this complex homicide by Cage’s increasingly erratic McDonagh and Herzog’s ingenious methods to keep the audience from switching off, giving into the plot and just going with it.  Herzog throws everything at us and it is never boring while still functioning as a character study of McDonough and the colorful characters around him as seen under the influence. 

Herzog placates the audience a few times, but instead of satisfaction we get pangs of guilt.  He wraps everything up in a neat little package at the end which elicits similar reactions from both the viewer and the main character. Everything may look resolved, but it never is, and the ending is deliciously melancholic and oddly peaceful. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a challenging film that conveys human drama without preciousness.  It’s layered and authentic while venturing into the ridiculous and it features one of Nic Cages’ best performances - it almost makes up for all those treasure hunting movies.

****1/2 out of *****

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

now in limited release

121 min

Dir.: Werner Herzog

Screenplay: William Finkelstein based on the film Bad Lieutentant.

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Coolidge and lizards

Rated R for lots of good reasons: sex, drugs and absurdity