Review: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Nic Cage plays Terrance McDonagh, a bad cop working in a post-Katrina New Orleans. He does not start off so bad since he does jump into the dirty water flooding the precinct to save a nobody junkie from drowning in his holding cell. This brave act gives him a promotion, a medal, and a back problem that eventually leads to a pain killer addiction that starts a slippery slope into more drugs, sex, and violence. A real rock and roll lifestyle.

Wrongfully considered a remake of Abel Ferrar's own Bad Lieutenant, a gritty cult classic with an incredibly visceral performance from Harvey Keital, Nic Cage dials in an equally visceral performance, both depressingly honest and figuratively naked. Being known for no longer picking good movies or giving a good performance, Cage scratches at the surface of recovering from such a bad reputation. He performs admirably, his sulking, lurking strut and nihilistic attitude is pitch perfect for the content, yet there is a time in the movie where like a coin, he flips taking the edge and cheesiness up a few notches. His weird voice pattern and twitchy face become distractions, but it only lasts for a short time. Eva Mendes and Val Kilmer have similar reputations nowadays, but both deliver decent enough performances, even though they are used sparringly. Character actors Jennifer Coolidge, Brad Dourif, Michael Shannon, and Fairuza Balk come and go leaving surprisingly memorable turns leaving me wanting more from them.

The writing is a bit too tongue in cheek, and the cinematography takes daring risks that just do not pan out. The handheld camera shots hugged up to lizards added very little and left me scratching my head. The pacing was characteristically slow, but the content mixed with Cage's character make it seem appropriate. The ending was ultimately dissapointing. We got to watch a pre-junkie Cage begin his life of drug use twisting and turning his psyche to the point of inevitable disaster, yet the story just kind of fades away rather than the explosion that was promised.

Nic Cage gives an almost career saving performance that he can hopefully run with. The movie itself is not without its flaws, but it is a more than decent enough drug-fueled gritty crime yarn with a decent enough character piece.

6/10