The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009) User Reviews

Cage makes the movie

[Samiam3 · 7/10 · 23 November 2009]

One thing you can always count on when you go into a Werner Herzog movie is that you can always expect to find a story surrounding a very bizarre individual. With Bad Lieutenant, I saw both Herzog and Nicholas Cage in a new light, or rather a new darkness. Labeled as a black comedy, there should be more emphasis on 'black' than on 'comedy'. The film bears a strong resemblance to the thematically surreal and contrived nature of a Coen Brothers film, but the difference is that this one is more character driven than plot driven. More specifically, this is a film that lives on one performance. Nicholas Cage for the first time in a while has done something worthy of recognition, possibly even award worthy.

He plays New Orleans cop Terence McDonagh, recently promoted to Lieutenant. The film follows his latest homicide investigation. Due to a back problem and a drug addiction he is grumpy and unstable. He is sort of an anti- American hero, and the film concludes on a very bizarre note but clever anti- conventional/Hollywood manner.

Though not Herzog's best, it is certainly one worth watching. With each film I see from him, past or present he continues to intrigue me, but I think in this case, it might be Nicholas Cage who deserves the most credit.

Is it really as outrageously wild and wacky and dark as its reputation? Yes

[eddiez61 · 8/10 · 19 March 2016]

Nic Cage is a living, breathing cartoon character, both as a person and as an actor, and the best filmmakers seem to grasp intuitively that the best way to have Nic in a movie--the only way, really--is to first be sure they've got for him an appropriately comical, ironic, melodramatic or surreal story. This one happens to be all four, to a serious degree. It also features compelling and offbeat relationships and unexpected, wild action, all of it slyly hypnotic and even gripping.

It'd be fair to describe this film as a tense crime drama that's regularly relieved by comical gags if it weren't for the fact that the perfectly timed humorous beats are so damn hysterical--and so weird. The outrageously absurd, profoundly wacky moments so thoroughly overwhelm the more somber, dark and disturbing moments--not in quantity but in sublime intensity--that they thoroughly dislodge us from any dependable emotional or psychological perch and it's hard to know with any confidence from instant to instant what we're expected to feel or think, which, apparently, is very much intentional. We're being toyed with, and not coyly but blatantly, maybe even wickedly.

The director, Werner Herzog, is a connoisseur of contradiction and paradox as he's masterfully demonstrated in many of his films, such as the bleakly absurd "Aguirre, the Wrath of God," or the incredibly preposterous "Fitzcarraldo," or the often delightfully campy "Nosferatu the Vampyre" where subtle humor is so effectively collided against genuinely poignant drama. But this one's on a whole different level, and it's entirely the fault of Nic Cage and his nearly demented, turbocharged performance as an increasingly crazed, spiraling out of control, drug addicted crooked cop.

As his character's condition deteriorates and his affliction and corruption possess him to the core not only does Nic begin to distort his appearance and posture to match his deepening pathology but his voice as well becomes increasingly warped as it grows more high pitched and nasal, as though the mounting stress is compressing him like a squeeze toy. It's beyond silly but it somehow works, at least on the level of his character's distorted, perverted perspective.

Often the soundtrack is emphatically offbeat, quirky and disruptive, working in counterpoint to the pace and tone of the unfolding action. But the musical score might then quickly shift to more traditional rhythms more in sync with the apparent mood of the scene, which only renders those moments all the more unsettling. It's a very subversive technique inciting a creeping, crawling uncertainty deep within the subconscious, at a primal level; a sincerely surreal experience punctuated so ridiculously, so blatantly by the hallucinogenic appearances of those damn freaky iguanas. So freaky...

It's disorienting--in the best way--to be so constantly jerked, jolted and yanked around by a movie, especially when it's all being done so well, so confidently. Werner Herzog has crafted a sincerely bizarre, wild ride; a rare and special cinematic experience that will appeal to--and thrill--aficionados of superior, if idiosyncratic storytelling. Very much recommended above all else for its uniquely unorthodox, unhinged vibe.

"Bad Lieutenant" (2009) is a good movie for Cage to go crazy.

[ulmeto · 7/10 · 26 May 2017]

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.

a truly different film, vividly acted and directed

[antoniotierno · 7/10 · 14 September 2009]

This movie is filled with humor and turns, it's jazzy and entertaining but not that similar to Abel Ferrara's 1992 story, in spite of the title. It features a wonderful and very much involved performance from Nicholas Cage, a lot of very black humor and gets to develop a strong pessimism. The story is appropriately set in New Orleans (during the Hurricane Katrina's aftermath) and mainly shows what occurs to good people when bad people prosper. Nicholas Cage aside, Val Kilmer doesn't probably manages to do much, but Mendes and Dourif deliver convincing performances. Abel Ferrara's "Bad Lieutenant" was a dirty depiction of a strongly damaged detective (played by Harvey Keitel), where, leaving from the illusions of a drug-induced cop, ended up involving a lot of Catholic guilt. Here there's more action and humor than that stuff, not that the movie is shallow but probably it's just a bit more unpretentious.

Wickedly funny black comedy that borders on satire - fantastic acting by all involved and just one hell of a ride

[gogoschka-1 · 9/10 · 21 July 2014]

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/

Herzog and Cage Deliver

[Michael_Elliott · 13 February 2010]

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.

A film not made for everyone but worth watching if you are interested

[lekgolah · 7/10 · 7 June 2010]

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.

Bonkers Lieutenant.

[timkinsella2020 · 7/10 · 15 May 2023]

A tricky one to rate, because I think a lot of it doesn't quite work, but at the same time, I admire how committed it is to being utterly bonkers and offbeat in every possible, imaginable way. There's some real anarchic filmmaking and acting on display here (as you'd expect from a Werner Herzog film starring Nicolas Cage) and that appeals to me.

In spite of the title, this bears little resemblance to Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant (1992). That movie is ENTIRELY bleak and harrowing, this one is ... all over the place, tonally. Super erratic, weird and unpredictable. Actually pretty wacky and even hilarious at times, despite the serious subject matter. There are a number of unforgettable scenes.

If you're someone who's allergic to Nicolas Cage's brand of overacting, you won't be cured of that allergy here. He does not hold back.

Worst Movie of the Decade!

[jwinters-2 · 1/10 · 30 November 2009]

This was without question one of the worst movies that I have ever witnessed in my life. Our audience was laughing most of the way through. The writing, the acting, the scenes, the story, the editing, even the continuity could not have been worse. How anyone could possibly consider this piece of trash anything resembling a "film" is beyond comprehension.

I could say many many more things about this movie, but unless it was intentionally a comedy, Nicholas Cage has lost his mind, his limited talent and his taste and should be forever banned from ever starring in another movie. I saw the damn boom in one scene! Awful awful awful!!!!!!!!!

Vintage nick cage!! Underrated film, dark comedy action movie!!!

[joiningjt · 9/10 · 25 November 2020]

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 is amazing

[olcayozfirat · 7/10 · 6 November 2022]

2009 detective movie. The film of Nicolas Cage, who I was once a big fan of, with his superb acting, which I admire. A police officer jumps into the water from a high place to save a prisoner in a cell during a flood, and his back is injured. He starts using drugs to relieve pain. Over time, drugs, gambling, theft, fraud, match-fixing are involved in every event. Throughout the movie, you want to watch Nicolas Cage's head is a million and not sober up. He lives in a half-truth, half-hallucination. There are some pretty funny scenes. He already laughs when he laughs.

There are sexual scenes in the movie, but there is no nudity.

So-so, ultimately pointless

[dfranzen70 · 5/10 · 26 November 2009]

This nominal remake to Abel Ferrara’s 1992 original isn’t bad, and it’s not really good, either. Nicolas Cage stars as the titular cop who doesn’t so much as bend the law as stomp it flat in his quest to do whatever. Cage isn’t terrible, but even his unhinged charisma isn’t quite edgy enough and feels one dimensional. Even the nihilism of Harvey Keitel’s character in the earlier film had more of a point than this uneven drama.

Terence McDonagh is a detective in New Orleans. We pick up his story shortly after the landfall of Hurricane Katrina; in an early scene, he and his partner (Val Kilmer) joke about saving or not saving a prisoner in a cell in which the water level has risen past the man’s head. As the criminal desperately treads water, McDonagh takes odds on his survival before the firemen come to rescue him.

As before, our protagonist is investigating a crime. A family of five has been shot, execution style, in their home. McDonagh must, of course, pull out all the stops to solve the crime and thus get more power and money and keep his prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mendes) in nice clothes and a high-class hotel. He also has a serious drug habit, shaking down clubgoers in exchange for not busting them for whatever it is they didn’t do. McDonagh also has to deal with his father, a recovering alkie, and his father’s girlfriend (Jennifer Coolidge) a current alkie, who live out in the middle of the bayou.

But where Ferrara’s movie pushed the envelope and strained our sense of good taste, Werner Herzog’s alleged remake seems too straightforward. McDonagh is just another dirty cop who breaks the rules to get what he wants. In the 17 years between films, we’ve all seen countless movies about dirty cops, and Cage’s McDonagh seems no better or worse than any of them. Keitel’s unnamed lieutenant desecrated churches and pranced about in a naked, drunken stupor, but Cage’s cop can’t summon up the cojones to do anything that wild and crazy. Or maybe it’s just that we’re all so numb to outlandish on screen behavior that there’s not much that Cage and Herzog could have done to shock and awe us.

It’s worth noting that Ferrara, when asked about Herzog’s upcoming film, didn’t have much nice to say about it; Herzog also stated in interviews that he didn’t feel that his movie was a remake of Ferrara’s, despite the title, because he (Herzog) had not seen the original. (Well, you can’t fault that logic, right?) I just didn’t find anything horrible about this movie, nothing that makes me really dislike it. But I also didn’t find it wildly entertaining. It has its adrenaline moments, and the cast tries, but it’s just an ineffective film. It’s fun to see Val Kilmer, though, and Mendes looks great.

The trouble with this movie is that the connection to the original is tenuous at best; it sort of feels like the Bad Lieutenant part was tacked on in an effort to sell more tickets. Nah, that’s unpossible. Hollywood would never use familiarity to make more money, right? Cage is going to have to do far more of these to pay off his tax bill.

Into the Nuthouse with Nic Cage and Werner Herzog

[evanston_dad · 7/10 · 9 December 2009]

Director Werner Herzog welcomes you to La-La Land once again in his latest film, starring Nicolas Cage as the world's worst cop.

Whether you love or loathe this film, I bet I can guarantee that you won't think it's ordinary. This is Herzog, after all. As for me, I thought it was decent, but give me Herzog's "Grizzly Man" or "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" any day.

What those two films have in common is a central figure -- one an actor, one not -- who are far more interesting and watchable than Nicolas Cage. Cage, playing a cop hooked on dope whose entire life is governed by trying to figure out where and how he can get his next fix, plays crazy like no one's business, and crazy certainly fits the film's tone, but I still think Herzog would have been wise to reel him in a little. Cage is so mannered that his acting becomes distracting. He pulls you out of the film instead of into it. Mid-way through, he inexplicably begins speaking in a voice reminiscent of a deranged Jimmy Stewart, and it's all I could focus on.

The film is staged as one long nightmare; there's a certain morbid fascination at seeing this sleazy guy's life unravel before our very eyes. Then, in the film's final moments, Herzog plays a joke on us that could have gone badly awry but instead works very well, and mimics the feelings one has upon waking from a bad dream. It's all clever and certainly watchable, but I couldn't help but wonder as I left my seat -- what's the point?

Another unusual film from an endlessly unusual filmmaker.

Grade: B+

The Nicolas Cage we loved is BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[k-comm · 8/10 · 24 October 2009]

I just watched this at London Film Festival & went in expecting to hate it as I loved the original. But I have to say, the film is excellent, certainly Cage's best film & best performance since Leaving Las Vegas. Herzog has done a brilliant job & the film stands on it's own, apart from the Ferrara film. I won't spoil bits by mentioning them, but the film has several stand-out memorable scenes worth the price of admission alone. Herzog has always said that training for making films is 'life' not a stuffy film studies class etc. If you're familiar with his work or sensibilities, you'll get even more insight into how cool this guy is after watching this film. I look fwd to watching it again when it releases and getting the DVD!!

A Fascinating Work

[algal-64164 · 10/10 · 14 May 2021]

Werner Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" is an incredibly unpredictable and bleakly comic work. Despite being very cynical, it is not at all heavy-handed, thus making it both a nerve-wracking and very funny experience. Every single step taken in this film feels like a step in the wrong direction and Nic Cage's unhinged performance truly brings the entire thing together.

The use of the word "bad" in the title is a severe understatement, as Cage's character is completely out of the territory of conventional evil. Like Abel Ferrara's similarly titled work, the film revolves around a corrupt cop becoming increasingly more desperate to save their situation. However, the antics of the titular cop in this film are darkly amusing, in contrast to the layers of tragedy in the aforementioned film. Like Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street", much of the film's humor comes from excess, as shown by Cage's performance and the strange cinematography from Austrian cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger. The characters in this film are so bad that there is no room left for redemption.

The style of the film itself is also interesting. Sometimes this film is hard noir, other times is a stoner film, though the film lies in between for the most part. While the plot revolves around the murder, it feels like a large MacGuffin that enables the film to go on many tangents. However, it does not mean the case does not get closure. It just means that you get even more time with stressed-out Nic Cage. Considering that the film is two hours long, I'd say that's more than enough.

Different enough from the original to make it worthwhile

[waltond2 · 7/10 · 28 February 2012]

7.5/10. I set myself up to not like this, the original with Harvey Keitel had a lasting impression on me when I watched it all those years ago as a student. However, this version only very loosely resembles the original. I think this was a wise move, to try and re-create it would have been a travesty. Instead we get the role reinvented by Nicholas Cage, and it is a quite stunning performance. Totally OTT - the stoop is so bad I keep expecting Cage to launch into Ricarhd III at any moment, the way he refers to one of the drug gang as "G" followed by a snort several times is just comic genius. The scene in the retirement home left me open mouthed - I didn't know whether to laugh or be shocked, one of the most amazing single scenes in a film I've seen for a long, long time. There is comedy in this and it is no where near as dark as the original, in the end I wanted to hate the film, but I loved it!!

A waste of a good cast

[colin_coyne · 3/10 · 10 May 2010]

BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL – NEW ORLEANS, started off as a type of cop thriller – based in New Orleans following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina …

Nicholas Cage (Raising Arizona, Face Off, Con Air) plays dirty cop Terence McDonagh investigating the murder of an immigrant family who were involved with drugs, his life takes a turn for the worse when injuring his back whilst saving the life of a prisoner – his injuries giving him so much pain that he turns to stealing drugs from criminals to feed his constantly growing habit

This film lost it's way early on in the story and never recovered in that every time that the tension built up to a climax the director would go off on some zany weird tangent that had nothing to do with the story – trying, but failing to emulate the style of the Coen brothers.

Ultimately this was a very poorly directed movie that didn't know where it was going or what it was trying to achieve, and a surprising bad film from quite a revered Director Werner Herzog

Although it should be said that there was such a strong cast and noteworthy performances by Eva Mendes (Frankie Donnenfield) as the love interest, Brad Dourif (Ned Schoenholtz) as a bookie, Jennifer Coolidge (Genevieve) as the Mother and Val Vilmer (Stevie Pruit) as the violent cop – there was really nothing that could save this film.

With the twists and turns in the plot – this film could have gone in any of ten directions – and I'm pretty sure that any of the other nine directions would have made a better movie.

The title of the movie suggests that this is one of a series of BAD LIEUTENANT films - Note to self: Don't bother watching any more of this series

A marvelous film that oddly ties all the elements to a piece.

[EijnarAmadeus · 7/10 · 9 February 2010]

BAD LIEUTENANT, known by most as Abel Ferrara's 1992 film with Harvey Keitel, has got a homonym with Werner Herzog's already forgotten BAD LIEUTENANT - a loose, limber, hilariously weird, and greatly entertaining cop-film with a hysterical (not necessarily funny) Nicolas Cage. The film is greatly set in a beautiful New Orleans slightly before and after the Hurricane Katrina, here rogue detective Terrence McDonagh (Cage) operates under the heavy influence of drugs - drugs he can't shake himself off after an incident that caused him severe back injury. Together with the hooker (Eva Mendes suiting it perfectly) he loves, his life complicates as they descend into both the grizzly underworld of crime, and their own trippy state of mind. Director Herzog stated himself that in contradiction to the 1992-film (which he states he hasn't seen) which themed the burden of guilt, his film is about the bliss of evil. Under the direction of Herzog we're taken on a wry journey to hell where evil takes on the form of deliriously cooked characters and atmosphere, containing a performance by Cage that spans from him wielding a gun at a wheelchair-bound old lady and calling her a cu*t (while shaving!), to him sharing an intimate moment with Frankie (Mendes) in his childhood hideaway recalling memories from when he was a boy, and how he imagined pirates hiding treasures in his home garden. And it's a scene to notice, because Herzog is a master of creating weirdly unique romances, and this one is right up there with the love triangle in Nosferatu (1979). And Herzog is the skipper of a film that oddly makes just about everything work to its benefit - just take a look at the scenes where he rhythmically zooms and cuts with noxious effect on close-ups of iguanas and you'll see what I mean.

Nic Cage in top shape

[mreyes92002 · 7/10 · 28 June 2020]

This is the type of movie you watch late at night with a double shot of whiskey in hand. It's just pure top-grade entertainment and doesn't pretend to be a serious movie. Nicolas Cage is a delight to watch in all his movies and this movie is perfect prototype for his wonderful and one-of-the-kind acting brand.

If you got this far, See It!

[bobt145 · 10/10 · 18 December 2009]

This is one of the best films of the year, but judging by the comments here, it's also one of the most under-appreciated and misunderstood.

I loved it. To the horde of naysayers, I simply want to shout from the rooftops, "This is a film dammit, not an exercise in some mysterious media, and it's a damn good one." There. That feels better.

Nicolas Cage finds his inner demons and let's them out to play in his role as the drug addicted cop. He's more than believable as a coke snorting, crack rock smoking fiend who thinks nothing of squeezing people, good guys and bad alike. And by the way, the bizarre mannerisms...yup, that's what drugs will do for you. To my mind, he nailed it! Take one small mannerism, the way he snorts a small pinch of coke from the back of his hand, a flurry of movement, and voilà, an observer would never know. It's inventive Cage and it's priceless. And you won't find many in the real drug world as good at it.

The supporting cast is excellent, although I must admit I did forget Val Kilmer was even it at times.

The texture, the interwoven story lines, the camera work. All superb. It's a Tarrantino film with a Herzog touch. Ask yourself, how many interrogation rooms have you seen on television and in movies? Any of them have windows with traffic outside? Probably not. Good touch and the film has dozens of them.

As for the iguanas and dancing mobster. These are apparitions folks. You know, born of the effects of all those drugs on the brain. They are not symbolic. They are not misguided touches of the bizarre (well, maybe they are a bit). They are the demons of a drug soaked mind and of course they are all of of proportion. That's what demons do! Very entertaining. You want more? Read a book.

A Very Strange Movie.

[JB1865 · 7/10 · 15 May 2010]

Bad Lieutenant is about a very strange cop named Terence McDonagh and his odyssey as he attempts to solve a murder in post Katrina New Orleans.

Werner Herzog attempts to combine comedy, cop drama, thriller, and character study in Bad Lieutenant, but unfortunately all he ends up with is a pretty big mess. Not to say that Bad Lieutenant is a complete failure because there are a number of good qualities, but they don't exceed or even equal the boredom and confusion.

Nicholas Cage creates an interesting character in Terence McDonagh, but I wouldn't say he does an exceptional acting job. This performance exceeds almost everything he has done in his career, but it mostly consists of him just acting weird. Even stranger he appeared to start talking with a strange accent about halfway through the film and then it seemed to go away after awhile. I don't know if that was supposed to have to do with the drugs or what, but it was ridiculous either way.

The plot is very strange and choppy. Bad Lieutenant has almost no narrative flow and the tone of the movie is exactly the same from beginning to end. There is no real hook in the beginning and the movie plays as if a camera was just put on a Nicholas Cage so we can watch his antics as he barrels through a criminal investigation. Which would be much more entertaining if he were a better character or if the movie were much shorter. Many of the scenes are completely unnecessary or just very uninteresting.

Despite all these flaws, Bad Lieutenant is very original. Many things that happen in the movie are very shocking and they completely catch you off guard. So I have to give Herzog credit for making a movie that is all his own.

I can't recommend Bad Lieutenant because it isn't really a very pleasant viewing experience, but it is very unique so if you're a film buff it may be worth a look.

too bad it's Cage and not Leslie Nielsen

[be-bop-795-4205 · 1/10 · 19 July 2010]

One must be a big fan of Nicolas Cage to enjoy this movie. I struggle to see any other reason why people may like it at all... Scores like 7/10 that I see here at IMDb should be a marketing phenomenon.

After the very strong, full of thought and of real pain, Ferrara's 'Bad Lieutenant' starring Harvey Keitel, this new 'Bad Lieutenant' by Herzog/Cage being classified as 'drama' must be a joke! This is nothing but a campy, pointless, dull comedy, or parody if you like, employing all stamps of cheap police serials. Herzog does throw in a bit of 'Fear and Loathing' inspired puff, which apparently should hint at some open-mindness, but since there is no idea, or feeling, or mood, or anything behind it, the puff remains a puff. I cannot get rid of the impression that the creators of the 2009 movie had the only aim of replacing the seriously bad Keitel's lieutenant with something much less problematic.

The actors work is horrible in a sense that there is no sign of real life, not a single one believable character. All are flat masks, starting with Cage. The plot is reasonably twisted but again, no sign of real life, it's all kinda comic book story made up to entertain, with no reference to any believable situation. We've seen it all, and more, and better, in one of those TV series.

The bottom line: A high budget B movie. If it was Leslie Nielsen and not Cage, at least it would be funny.

What was that?

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 19 October 2010]

That is more or less what Werner Herzog wants us to feel (say) after watching this (or maybe any of his) movie(s)! And there is almost no doubt that you will say that. Whether you liked it or not, you will be going "wtf"!

After "Kick-Ass" this is another role for Cage to shine. Plus we have a really good (small) role for Val Kilmer. And if you watch the behind the scenes, you actually wish, that if there ever is a Werner Herzog biopic, he will play him. OK that might make it a comedy, but still he seems to have the accent in his blood.

But apart from that (and the footage Werner shot himself, of "Lizards"), we also get a movie and powerhouse performance by Nic Cage. There are scenes in there, that are totally insane. But that's exactly what Werner wanted. And a Lizard scene is especially disturbing, almost disturbing the flow of the movie (if there is one at all).

But through all this crazy things happening, you don't even care that this is a Remake. Anti-Hero would be an understatement. But who's the "Beast"? (watch the making of ... to get any more information, but a very interesting view of things by Herzog)

It's hard to know what to make with this insane flick, but it's too much fun to ignore

[zetes · 7/10 · 11 April 2010]

Really freaking crazy. People have been trying to relate it to Herzog's other crazy movies, but it really isn't anything like the Kinski films or his wacky documentaries or anything else. Honestly, if this movie was made by anyone else it would have been despised by everybody and only years later thought of as a bizarre cult flick. Having very little to do with Abel Ferrara's 1992 film starring Harvey Keitel, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans stars Nicholas Cage as a drug-crazed, gambling addicted, prostitute-dating police lieutenant in post-Katrina New Orleans. The film is partly a police procedural, but that part of the plot is pretty forgettable. Mostly Cage just keeps getting himself into deeper crap until it pretty much buries him. What you mostly will remember is Nick Cage's performance. You know how Nick Cage can sometimes be a little loopy? It's like in this movie, Herzog told him to go completely off-the-hook. He's never been this insane anywhere. Does this make the movie good? Not exactly, but it does make it totally watchable. Herzog goes insane once in a while, too, especially in the now infamous iguana and soul dancing sequences. In all honesty, this is easily the worst movie that Herzog has (or hopefully will ever) direct, but it's just so damn entertaining - but in a so-bad-it's-good sort of way.

The Gator Cam

[FrostyChud · 2/10 · 17 March 2010]

Man...what a crappy movie. I found myself looking away from the screen sometimes out of embarrassment for Nicolas Cage. Everything was bad. The only reason I didn't walk out of the theater is because I am from New Orleans and wanted to see how Herzog filmed the city. In fact I thought his choice of locations was excellent. The African funeral scene was filmed in Holt Cemetery, which is a potter's field in an otherwise middle-class neighborhood. If you go there you will find human bones sticking out of the ground everywhere! No one has a New Orleans accent except the old black lady. I don't have one either but I am from the suburbs. The fancy apartment building where the old lady lives is the St. Vincent de Paul Guest House on Magazine Street. Stay there! It is atmospheric and inexpensive. I also used to live one block from where they busted "Midget". The person whose room I rented left the house after being bashed in the head with a brick while unlocking her door.

Other than Holt Cemetery and some nice shots of some of the most picturesque slums in America, there is little to recommend. Fairuza Balk looks really good in her underwear scene...Nicolas Cage mentions it too. He is a terrible actor. He is totally unconvincing. The whole movie is boring and pointless. Is it a comedy or a drama? It is neither, it is nothing. It could maybe have been a success if Cage and Herzog had played it differently. Instead of making the Bad Lieutenant tortured, they should have made him a sort of jolly, amoral sadist who just enjoys the hell out of himself. Cage tried to put on his pathos-face though and screwed it up.

Some random remarks:

• The plantation house looks cool. - Xzibit looks exactly like 50 Cent. - There are no Senegalese immigrants in New Orleans - The iguana stuff is stupid. - The whole movie is stupid.