Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Terrence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) chomps painkillers, shoots smack and snorts coke as he cruises the Big Easy as one of the city’s most celebrated lawmen in director Werner Herzog‘s “re-thinking” of Abel Ferrara‘s 1992 urban thriller, “Bad Lieutenant.” The more McDonagh fries his brain, the more surreal his journey as he juggles the investigation of the murder of five illegal immigrants from Senegal with his personal relationships with his prostitute girlfriend and fellow addict (Eva Mendes), recovering alcoholic father (Tom Bower) and alcoholic stepmother (Jennifer Coolidge). While “Port of Call” never feels nearly as downright dangerous as its in-name-only predecessor, Herzog mixes up the Southern gothic atmosphere with bizarre hallucinatory theatrics, bringing along a game supporting cast that includes Val Kilmer, Brad Dourif, Xzibit, Fairuza Balk and Michael Shannon. A favorite with critics, with Roger Ebert especially impressed with Cage’s unhinged performance, stating he’s “as good as anyone since Klaus Kinski at portraying a man whose head is exploding.” – IFC Staff