The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009)

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writers (WGA):

William M. Finkelstein (screenplay)
Victor Argo (earlier film "Bad Lieutenant") ...

Release Date:

11 September 2009 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The only criminal he can't catch is himself.

Plot:

Terence McDonagh is a drug- and gambling-addled detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigating the killing of five Senegalese immigrants. |

Plot Keywords:

Drug Use | Father Son Relationship | Gambling | Dog | Reflection In Car Mirror

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Terence McDonagh
Val Kilmer	...	Stevie Pruit
Eva Mendes	...	Frankie Donnenfeld
Jennifer Coolidge	...	Genevieve
Fairuza Balk	...	Heidi
Brad Dourif	...	Ned Schoenholtz
Michael Shannon	...	Mundt
Shawn Hatosy	...	Armand Benoit
Denzel Whitaker	...	Daryl
Shea Whigham	...	Justin
Irma P. Hall	...	Binnie Rogers
Xzibit	...	Big Fate
Tom Bower	...	Pat McDonough
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	James Brasser
Katie Chonacas	...	Tina
Lance E. Nichols	...	Jerimiah Goodhusband
Brandi Coleman	...	Yvonne
Brandy Moon	...	Duffy's wife
Lauren Pennington	...	Young woman
J.D. Evermore	...	Rick Fitzsimon
Marco St. John	...	Eugene Gratz
Deneen Tyler	...	Pharmacist
Jillian Batherson	...	D.A's Assistant
Lucius Baston	...	Deshaun 'Midget' Hackett
Michael Wozniak	...	Undercover Officer
Deena Beasley	...	Miamouna
Kyle Russell Clements	...	Lawrence
Tony Bentley	...	Hurley
Armando Leduc	...	Jeff
Sam Medina	...	Andy
Sean Boyd	...	Lt. Stoyer
Douglas M. Griffin	...	Sergeant
J. Omar Castro	...	Narcotics Detective
Nick Gomez	...	Evaristo Chavez
Tim Bellow	...	Gary 'G' Jenkins
Joe Nemmers	...	Officer Larry Moy
Noel Arthur	...	Renaldo Hayes
David Joseph Martinez	...	Juan Michel
Joel Davis	...	TV Play-by-play announcer (voice)
Jaime San Andres	...	Officer Lasseigne
Topher Jones	...	Undercover Detective
Michael Arnona	...	Police Captain
Trey Burvant	...	Dealer
Lyssa Prine	...	Nurse
Jeremy Aaron Johnson	...	Detective Yasco
Victor Hugo Palacios	...	Police Officer
Robert Pavlovich	...	Dr. Milburn
Matt Borel	...	Bernie
Roger J. Timber	...	Security Guard (as Roger Timber)
C. Stuart Rome	...	CSI Agent
Joshua Gillum	...	Host
Michael Zimbrich	...	Waiter
Lorin Moore	...	Promotion Reporter

Also Known As:

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (USA) (promotional title)
Bad Lieutenant - Cop ohne Gewissen (Germany) [de]
Bad Lieutenant - Escale à la Nouvelle-Orléans (France) [fr]
Diafthora sti Nea Orleani (Greece) [el]
Il cattivo tenente - Ultima chiamata New Orleans (Italy) [it]
Paha poliisi - Määräsatama New Orleans (Finland) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated R for drug use and language throughout, some violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Italy:T | Canada:18A (Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-15 | USA:R (certificate #44572) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Brazil:18

Filming Locations:

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, USA

Company:

Edward R. Pressman Film

Trivia:

The original Bad Lieutenant (1992) starred Harvey Keitel, with whom Cage appeared in National Treasure (2004).

Quotes:

Terence McDonagh: Shoot him again.
Deshaun 'Midget' Hackett: What for?
Terence McDonagh: His soul is still dancing.
[laughs histerically]

Movie Connections:

Remake of Bad Lieutenant (1992)

Cage makes the movie

One thing you can always count on when you go into a Werner Herzog movie is that you can always expect to find a story surrounding a very bizarre individual. With Bad Lieutenant, I saw both Herzog and Nicholas Cage in a new light, or rather a new darkness. Labeled as a black comedy, there should be more emphasis on 'black' than on 'comedy'. The film bears a strong resemblance to the thematically surreal and contrived nature of a Coen Brothers film, but the difference is that this one is more character driven than plot driven. More specifically, this is a film that lives on one performance. Nicholas Cage for the first time in a while has done something worthy of recognition, possibly even award worthy.

He plays New Orleans cop Terence McDonagh, recently promoted to Lieutenant. The film follows his latest homicide investigation. Due to a back problem and a drug addiction he is grumpy and unstable. He is sort of an anti- American hero, and the film concludes on a very bizarre note but clever anti- conventional/Hollywood manner.

Though not Herzog's best, it is certainly one worth watching. With each film I see from him, past or present he continues to intrigue me, but I think in this case, it might be Nicholas Cage who deserves the most credit. Could there be an Oscar in store?