I’ve always wanted a movie based on the series The Shield, Ha! never thought it would be in the format of BAD LIEUTENANT: POCNO. Forget trying to compare it to the original version by Abel Ferrara, this one rides solely on Nicolas Cage’s performance which I think is his best work since… Face/Off. Finally, after all these years, the talented Cage we used to know is back. Without his comical psycho yet highly determined character, Terrence McDonagh, BAD LIEUTENANT: POCNO would be just another slow ridiculous wannabe noir.
In Werner Herzog’s new film “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs — while playing fast and loose with the law. He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (played by Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion, and conscience. The result is a singular masterpiece of filmmaking: equally sad and manically humorous.
How do you juggle your demons and your duties all at once? That’s the secret that Cage successfully unlocks with BAD LIEUTENANT. Screenwriter William Finklestein who’s dealt with cops drama before in series like L.A. Law and NYPD Blue knows a thing or two about making a cop’s life complicated. Either by adding a dysfunctional family, a prostitute for a girlfriend, a drug addiction and unconventional interrogation methods or hiding all those combined from his superior while trying to earn some money and gain some ranks on the side. Director Werner Herzog brings the heat and the dampness of post-Katrina New Orleans on our heads and it feels like a semi noir. Right up until the last 10 minutes of the movie, you wouldn’t know how McDonagh is going to get himself out of this whole mess because he’s a total mess himself. What’s interesting is that the story doesn’t steer McDonagh to do something out of the ordinary, at least no more than what he’s already good at, he’d work all angles and sweet talk his way if he needs to. It’s not always effective because he’s not ’smooth’ but his determination is what keeps me watching.
He’s a ‘dirty’ cop that you wanna see brought to justice but at the same time, there’d be times when the good side of him would come out and all of a sudden you’d wanna see him succeed. I don’t think I’d compare this character to Denzel’s in Training Day, I think those are 2 completely different individuals because McDonagh can be manipulative but he can be compassionate as well, even when he’s high. He can be childish and reckless but you wouldn’t have a doubt in your mind that he’s a damn good detective. For that alone, I give this movie props but Herzog’s direction at times seems to be going nowhere, nice touch with the iguanas and alligators, kinda gives you a sense of how much McDonagh has been losing his mind but they don’t represent anything significant other than just fillers.
Keep your eyes set on Nic Cage, observe his acting in this one because his Oscar winning instinct kicks in, McDonagh has a bad back so Cage at all times would stand and walk slouching. For some reason it reminds me of how faithful Heath Ledger was to his slouching Joker. Cage develops a unique voice and accent for McDonagh, either to indicate the long effect cocaine has on a person’s speech or simply to portray a guy who’s irritated and just wants the back pain to go away. One thing fans always know for sure is that Cage is one of the few actors who’s talented at improvising his mannerism and facial expressions when he has to be pissed off or act crazy. Whether it’s yelling for his prescription at the pharmacy or having public sex at the parking lot, Nic Cage proves that sanity is a very thin line.
I’m not disappointed by BAD LIEUTENANT. The pacing is slow, actually it drags. But I’m entertained by how things would work out in the end without McDonagh having to do practically jacksh*t. He may just be the luckiest BAD LIEUTENANT on the planet and you’ll be left saying ‘Unfreakin’believable!’
* Place the cursor on the image below to check my grade for this film
