The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans
The only criminal he can't catch is himself.
Terence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage), a homicide detective with the New Orleans Police Department, is promoted to Lieutenant after he saves a prisoner from drowning in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. However, during his heroic act, he severely injures his back and is put on prescription pain medication.
A year later, Terence — struggling with his addictions to sex, Vicodin and cocaine — finds himself in the battle to bring down drug dealer Big Fate, who is suspected of massacring an entire family of African immigrants.
Member Reviews
Bad Lieutenant: Terrible Movie - cher1
By far the worst movie I have ever seen with Nicholas Cage. Yes, he was a bad cop on good drugs but it was implausible to think he could function the way he was stoned....hallucinating about iguanas? Such an addictive personality (drugs, sex, gambling) and still a GREAT cop? I generally love Nicholas Cage, which is why I ordered this movie but I'm sorry I did. It was a train wreck I couldn't stop watching, thinking it might get better. Oh well, lesson learned!This film becomes bizarrely comical as it gets increasingly depraved.. - aj79
Cage goes for broke with this performance, adopting a drunken John Wayne walk combined with crazy-eyed twitches and severe shifts in personality. It's completely impossible that Terence manages to stay on his feet though this story, and indeed Cage looks like he could fall over at any moment, especially when he starts to hilariously hallucinate about iguanas, which combine with the water-snakes and crocodiles to give the film a reptilian tone. Herzog clearly knows what he's doing here, and the film's slimy, murky atmosphere is packed with pitch-black humour that oozes from the screen.
Besides Cage's walking-death nuttiness, the supporting cast is a who's who of scene-stealing overactors, from the slinky Mendes to the puffy Kilmer as a snarky colleague.The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans - julianrjh27
So, about Bad Lieutenant... this is the craziest movie I've seen in a long time, and 90% of the reason for that is Nicolas Cage. The man is unhinged throughout the movie, alternating between quiet moments of introspection and way-over-the-top outbursts, and he's strangely riveting to watch. It's a hilarious performance, one that grabs your attention and leaves you shaking your head incredulously.
Story-wise, there isn't much here... Cage just basically wanders around doing drugs, shaking people down and laughing maniacally, but that's what I was in for. I barely paid attention to the story, I was just watching Cage freak out for two hours. The supporting cast is filled to the brim with similarly-idiosyncratic character actors, but they are all playing second fiddle to Cage.
So, in you enjoy Cage's performances when he goes for broke, you'll enjoy him here, where his performance is almost a parody of itself. If you are looking for a serious cop drama, look elsewhere.
Member Reviews
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Bad Lieutenant: Terrible Movie - cher1
By far the worst movie I have ever seen with Nicholas Cage. Yes, he was a bad cop on good drugs but it was implausible to think he could function the way he was stoned....hallucinating about iguanas? Such an addictive personality (drugs, sex, gambling) and ...This film becomes bizarrely comical as it gets increasingly depraved.. - aj79
Cage goes for broke with this performance, adopting a drunken John Wayne walk combined with crazy-eyed twitches and severe shifts in personality. It's completely impossible that Terence manages to stay on his feet though this story, and indeed Cage looks like ...The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans - julianrjh27
So, about Bad Lieutenant... this is the craziest movie I've seen in a long time, and 90% of the reason for that is Nicolas Cage. The man is unhinged throughout the movie, alternating between quiet moments of introspection and way-over-the-top outbursts, and ...