Today’s quick review: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Terence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) is a high-strung New Orleans detective with a drug problem and flexible ethics. He gets the chance to prove himself when he is assigned to a multiple homicide case, but as his behavior grows increasingly erratic, his bad decisions start to catch up with him, threatening his investigation and his career.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a gritty crime drama set in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Nicolas Cage stars as Terence McDonagh, a cop with severe personal issues. Despite his outward appearance as a stand-up member of the force, Terry has a crippling drug addiction and no problem lying or stealing to support it. His questionable tactics make him an effective detective but risk landing him a situation he can’t talk his way out of.
Bad Lieutenant has a decent script, interesting performances, and an unpredictable plot. The core plot involves a homicide that Terry pins on Big Fate (Xzibit), a local drug dealer, but cannot prove. The story also touches on Terry’s relationships with Frankie (Eva Mendes), a prostitute with a drug habit, his father Pat (Tom Bower), a recovering alcoholic, and Stevie (Val Kilmer), a colleague with even looser morals than Terry.
Nicolas Cage deserves special mention for his performance in the film. Terry walks a fine line between fallen hero and total maniac, and Cage handles the balance well. His actions are explicitly despicable, yet he never quite crosses over into irredeemable territory and his police work is almost admirable. The result is a bizarrely fascinating look at a character perched on a ledge, with Nicolas Cage’s remarkable drug-fueled meltdowns as added payoff.
Beyond that, Bad Lieutenant is a mixed bag. The plot has interesting ideas but is not all that gripping. The ending is strange but oddly satisfying. The direction has a couple of quirks, such as lingering close-up shots of reptiles. The characteres are not quite likable, but not far off it either, in spite of their misdeeds. The tone is not as dark as it could have been; the movie draws the line at rampant drug use, swearing, and extortion, without much violence.
Watch Bad Lieutenant if you are the curious type or are a fan of Nicolas Cage’s darker roles. Neither the subject matter nor the execution make Bad Lieutenant a good movie, but it holds a perverse sort of appeal. Most viewers are better off skipping it, but those looking for either a seamy crime drama or Nic Cage at his most erratic should give it a watch.
6.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for decent execution, unpleasant subject matter, and oddly high watchability.