What’s in a name? When Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe was released in 1991 a lot of people guffawed at the title, but behind the name was a genuinely touching drama. This week Nic Cage (Kick Ass) and Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Encounters at the End of the World) bring us the oddly titled The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans and for any Cage fans out there who missed his excellent turn as Big Daddy in Kick Ass, this film marks a continuation of his amazing return to form.
Not a million miles away from the original story in Bad Lieutenant starring Harvey Keitel, Nic Cage plays Terence McDonagh a Lieutenant in the New Orleans Police Department with chronic back pain, a hefty drug habit and a gambling problem to rival that of a Premier League footballer.
When a drug hit in the city leaves an entire family dead, McDonagh becomes obsessed with finding the killers and bringing them to justice by any means necessary. When not chasing the killers he spends his time doting over his prostitute girlfriend Frankie (smokin’ hot Eva Mendez), pissing off his bookie and rousting civilians for drugs.
A rarity
Bad Lieutenant is a rare film in these days of remakes, re-imaginings and straight up thievery in that it is actually better than the very controversial for its time original. Whereas the original was quite vulgar and in your face, Port Of Call is darkly funny in parts and just plain weird in others. That is in no small part down to Herzog letting loose behind the camera with his trademark lunacy (I recommend watching Encounters at the End of the World to get the full effect of this mad genius).
Just when you think you are watching a regular cop drama he goes for Iguana Cam (almost fell off my seat laughing) or has his actors perform an act of insanity no mainstream director would dare try (Cage in the old folks home, oh my).
With Cage in flying form, the rest of the cast do their best to keep up and for the most part succeed, with Jennifer Coolidge standing out as Cage’s alcoholic stepmother Genevieve. Val Kilmer also turns up in a low key role as a co-worker while Pimp My Ride‘s Xzibit plays a local drug dealer. There are a lot of familiar faces rounding out the cast and each plays their part to make this an excellent nights viewing.
What follows is a trip through post Katrina N’Orleans with the “not quite all there†Werner Herzog at the helm and Nic Cage in the form of his life. This is nothing more than a marriage made in heaven, and I for one hope these two work together again… soon.
Andrew Kennedy
