The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Just got a chance to watch this Werner Herzog remake of Bad Lieutenant, these are my thoughts:

Oh my goodness, what a bad ass flick! Nicolas Cage brings out the crazy in this drug-adled, post-Katrina New Orleans inspired, star-studded film.

The movie features Val Kilmer, Xzibit, and Cage, who is a heroin-loving cop. The movie just follows him through his duties as a homicide Detective, which prove hallucinatory and perverse. At one point he shakes down a couple coming out of a club for some smack, then fucks the chick.

I haven't seen a movie so utterly depressed, yet still so zen-like. The beginning finishs the end, into a complete circle, which is an indication of good writing and a cleverly executed idea.

Choosing New Orleans as a background for Cage's hilariously dark antics is brilliant, as it acts like a stage for a host of vivid characters that literally pop from the screen. I haven't seen a movie recently that I enjoyed watching, as much as this.

At some points I was thinking, holy shit that's so and so and so and so. Casting director did a superb job. Each moment on the screen really brings out the essence of what post-Katrina New Orleans must have been like. It was a run-down city, full of crime and ripe for the picking of criminals and drug dealers. This is the main focus of the plot.

There are some moments when you think, hmm, perhaps the camera man just discovered the camera. Especially the shots involving animals, they will leave you thinking, what the fuck?? But think of it this way, the director wanted to not only tell the story of this crazy mother fuckin' cop, he also wanted to tell the story of what Katrina did to New Orleans. It was a huge natural disaster that disrupted so many American citizen's way of life.

Certainly, these ideas are secondary to the theme of the movie. I think you'll enjoy it, just don't take it too seriously. I definitely felt the director channeling a little Hunter S. Thompson action. In fact, you'll see similarities between Depp's character in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Nicolas Cage's character in this gem. (Terence.)

Val Kilmer has a bit part, but it is up to his usual, odd-role standard. I liked him, especially his hair. But I always like his hair.

Also, Eva Mendes actually plays a fairly serious role and I was quite impressed. I thought she was hil-arious in Stuck on You. Jennifer Coolidge also makes a guest appearance, which leads me to believe that she must be good friends with Mendes (see Night at the Roxbury)

Well--just one more thing that I really love to H8, a Nicolas Cage movie....