Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans

Bad-Lieutenant-Port-of-Call-New-Orleans
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans

Werner Herzog’s “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans” paints a bleak and sordid picture of a murderer, rapist, drug addict, corrupt cop and paranoid degenerate who is terrified of iguanas. It sets that person in a ruined New Orleans not long after Hurricane Katrina. It does not try to show the legendary city in a flattering light. And it gradually reveals itself as a sly comedy about a snake like but brave man.

Nicolas Cage is the best at this type of acting. He’s fearless as an actor. He doesn’t care if you think he goes overboard; if it calls for him crawling hand-over-hand to the top with bleeding fingernails, he’ll do it. Look at him in movies as diverse as “Wild at Heart” and “Leaving Las Vegas.” He and Herzog were meant to work together. Neither can sit still for caution.

In the lineup of bad cops, Terence McDonagh belongs in the first room. For obvious reasons everybody will think of Harvey Keitel’s lieutenant in Abel Ferrara’s masterpiece “Bad Lieutenant” (1993). I hope this film encourages you to seek out that one; it deserves to be sought. Ferrara is Shakespearean in his tragedy; Herzog is more like Cormac McCarthy. Sometimes on the road to hell you have to laugh.

McDonagh patrols deserted streets at midnight alone in a city abandoned by many citizens and most good fortune. He Serves and Protects himself only. The Law is his personal property, and he operates under its auspices. Lurking outside a club in his prowler car he sees a young couple come out and follows them into an empty parking lot where he stops them, searches them, finds negligible drugs on the male companion and begins to place him under arrest. The man pleads; he’s afraid his father will find out, offers a bribe that doesn’t interest McDonagh who wants the drugs and rapes the girl while her boyfriend watches.

The only things these two films have in common are their titles and their portrayal of utterly immoral drug addicts it isn’t what a movie is about but how it’s about what it’s about. Ferrara looks down on his lieutenant without mercy; Herzog can be almost Godlike forgivingness itself because an addict in need can be capable of anything from destruction through duty toward family or self they’re driven since addiction is disease (although there are some debates) so let’s not judge too quickly here Drugs are terrible but they drive much harder than alcohol towards doom..

Herzog depicts McDonagh as having a crooked body from back pain. He starts with prescription Vicodin and quickly moves on to cocaine. As a cop, he builds up sources of supply. He steals from other addicts and dealers. In the chaos after Katrina hits New Orleans, he helps himself to a cop’s evidence room. George Carlin once said, “What does cocaine feel like? It makes you feel like some more cocaine.”

McDonagh has a girlfriend named Frankie (Eva Mendes). She is a hooker; he seems fine with it. Sometimes she has drugs for him; other times he gives her drugs. They share something an addict craves: sympathy and understanding. They huddle together against the horrors of life around them.

Also close to his 60ish father Pat (Tom Bower), not at all close to Pat’s 40ish partner Genevieve (Jennifer Coolidge). His dad has been through AA; she’s a bosomy all-day beer drinker living in their slowly decaying rural manse somewhere out in parish country. What are you gonna do? One look at McDonagh’s shaggy hair would tell any father what needs looking for.

Colorful characters enrich McDonagh’s tunnel-visioned life: Hip-hop star Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner is Big Fate kingpin who holds the key to executing five Nigerian drug dealers Fairuza Balk plays a cop and sometimes lover, Brad Dourif plays his bookie (he gambles too much), Val Kilmer plays his partner uncharacteristically laid-back performance from Kilmer or maybe we couldn’t stand both Cage and Kilmer cranked up to 11.

Bower plays McDonagh’s father as troubled but with good instincts; Coolidge changes gears into MI-wouldn’t-LF but always shines with great screen presence.

The details of the crime need not concern us here so just admire how it feels this film looks like Peter Zeitlinger’s cinematography creates an unpicturesque New Orleans for Herzog as usual pokes around for odd detail everyone’s talking about shots of iguanas staring cold reptilian eyes who else but Herzog would hold on their gaze? Who else would foreground them placing action behind? Who but Cage could regard sideways at an iguana with suspicion?

“Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans” isn’t about plot but seasoning like New Orleans cuisine finds that if you add enough right spices peppers simmer long enough almost anything goes in pot.

Surely though “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans” is an odd title? Let me give my fantasy about that Herzog agrees with Ed Pressman do remake 1993 film which Pressman also produced Pressman no fool knows Werner Herzog remake will be nothing original Abel Ferrara outraged as well might Martin Scorsese picked “Bad Lieutenant” among ten best films nineties.

“I dunno,” Pressman says hesitantly, “Maybe we should change the title too? How about taking one line from screenplay instead?”

“How about calling it ‘Port Of Call’?”

“We shall compromise,” said Herzog using Germanic precision needed when explaining something clear-cut enough not back down Ferrara proud men.

Watch Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans For Free On Gomovies.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top