Bad Lieutenant.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans is a re-make/re-envisioning of Abel Ferrara's incredibly dark 1992 film by the same title. Directed by the immensely talented Werner Herzog and starring the fallen hero that is Nic Cage it is safe to say I was very excited to see this film. I was however concerned that Herzog's artistic license would perhaps have been compromised slightly by the star attraction of Nic Cage, fortunately this film is just as much of a Herzog film as it is a Nic Cage film. Both are key player's in telling the story and entertaining in equal measure.

Before I go any further with this review I think it is important to point out how incredibly cool Werner Herzog is. Not only does he have a voice that makes my soul tremble but this was his legitimate reaction to being told he was going to be served vegetarian food:

(friggin' lad.)

Anyway, the narrative of the film revolves around Cage's character called Terrence McDonagh becoming increasingly addicted to prescription and non-prescription drugs. To add to these complications he manages to accumulate a serious amount of debt from his local gambling haunt. In other words things are not going great for the Bad Lieutenant. Cage depicts the character's physical agony with his back pain (hence the prescription drugs) absolutely superbly with his slumped shoulders and peculiar gait. Cage is electrifying in this role from beginning to end, portraying a character that is simultaneously comic, tragic, engaging and utterly repugnant. At times I was squirming in my seat with awkwardness-most notably when he is essentially raping a woman whilst pointing his gun at her boyfriend and at others I was almost howling with laughter; Nic Cage shouting "I'LL KILL ALL YOU MUTHA FUCKAS...TILL THE BREAK OF DAWN BABY!" in Xzibit's face is tantamount to comedic genius.

(If this photo can't persuade you to go and see this film then stop reading now. You're an idiot.)

This film is genuinely unlike anything I have ever seen. Herzog's mixture of pseudo-documentary hand held camera shots on digital set against a more classical mode of visual representation creates an awkwardness in the film which adds even further to the levels of audience intrigue and sets us up in a similarly discombobulating position to Lieutenant McDonagh's constantly drug addled state. Some of the best moments of the film come where McDonagh is hallucinating and imagining he is seeing Iguana's and reptiles in the midst of the crime scenes. Refreshingly the representation of his intoxication refrains from the painfully clichéd notion of the 'trippy' which is always just nauseatingly self indulgent. Instead his moments of hallucinating are filmed in digital with hand held camera work which again creates an awkward visual juxtaposition between the implied realism of the camera work and the surrealism of the imagery.

I went to see this film twice before I wanted to write up on it because I was genuinely so awe struck the  first time I saw it, not necessarily because I thought it was incredible but because it was such a bold and audacious departure from anything I have really seen before. I cannot even really compare any of the tropes employed to much else, the blend of surrealism and realism harkens back to David Lynch and the exploration of the character's sink into addiction is reminiscent of Requiem For A Dream. This is definitely a film which speaks for itself without needing to be compared to anything else. The fact that when I first saw this I sat in mild disbelief and awe throughout the credits until I was ejected from the screen is indicative of how effective this film is in packing a punch.

At the heart of it this is a fairly familiar story of a crooked cop, stuck in a rut and trying to get out. On this level it is very accessible to a more mainstream audience not interested/aware of Herzog's cinematic prestige, the star attraction of Nic Cage delivering such an enigmatic performance also contributes to this duality of appeal. Providing something familiar for the mass audience as well as honing in very effectively to target and appeal to a more niche audience looking for something challenging and engaging. In many ways you could see this as a Black Comedy, a very Black comedy. Blacker than a Raven's wing. However it is fairly pointless trying to place this within a generic label due to it's constant subversion and play with generic codes and conventions to provide the uncomfortable, surreal and comedic thrill ride which it delivers.

 I hugely recommend that you go and see this, one of the most interesting films I have seen in the past few years. Anything that makes you say 'wow' or grin at its sheer madness (as I did on several occasions) is worth a watch. Whether you like it or not I am certain you will be glad that you went to see it.