3 reviews

---

Debbie Sims May 15, 2010

'It feels like we're working for some kind of greater good,' says Xzibit's gang boss to Nicholas Cage's eponymous Bad Lieutenant as they make a business deal, whilst in the background his two henchmen dump a body in the river. But there is no greater good here in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, as Nicholas Cage wades through the moral swamp investigating a murder. Everything is corrupt and sleazy. The fact that this scene is funny hopefully goes a little way to illustrating the blackly comic tone of the whole of Werner Herzog's latest release. He takes a traditional good cop gone bad tale, and breakdances all over it.

Nicholas Cage's manic performance sees him back to his joyously over the top best, as he somehow makes a seedy, drug addled, gambling, corrupt cop someone that you, perversely, want to succeed. It is impossible to take your eyes off him, apart from when a couple of smiling iguanas share a fantastically insane scene with him. He's a brilliant detective, but the sole driving force of all of his actions is the desperation to score drugs. He would threaten to kill your granny if it would help him.

How did something so bleak and amoral make me leave the cinema in such a good mood?

Completely bonkers, and completely brilliant.

Gloriously dark and deliciously wicked, Bad Lieutenant is a film that is at times difficult to enjoy - or perhaps it is just difficult to admit that it's all enjoyable. Cage's character is introduced before the injury that leads to his decline into drug-fuelled mania, which is fortunate as it gives us a little time to begin to like him before his behaviour slips into questionable, immoral and downright crazy. Nevertheless, the combination of Cage's performance and some excellent, if at times bizarre, direction leave you just sympathetic enough that you find yourself taking vicarious pleasure in antics you know should leave you feeling a little bit dirty.

The plot is convoluted but in a way that fits perfectly with the ambiance of the film and Cage's state of mind. The damaged, fallible nature of almost every character means there are no cliched Hollywood good guys - just the kind of ending that leaves you feeling you've gotten nowhere, but that it was fun getting there.

Juawill 25 May 2010

A fascinating film by a fascinating director. Werner Herzog is a noted filmmaker, but usually produces documentaries. This is his first move into what at first glance may seem to be a generic cop drama, but his intensity and quirkiness is retained and it is easy to see this is a far cry from the genre's usual fare. It is rare to see a cop drama with so little focus on the usual procedural elements - and if you’re looking for a formulaic thriller, you’ll be somewhat surprised. Instead we are presented with an excellent, fascinating, morbid car crash of a character study.

Nicolas Cage plays Terence McDonagh, the titular bad lieutenant. Plagued with back pain caused by a rare moment of generosity, his hunched, stiff movements and intense hooded stare born of painkillers and pain indicate a man on the edge. At first he merely walks along it, breaking the law in minor areas to fuel his drug and gambling habit. But he soon loses sight of the line - if it had ever existed - and his actions become ever more extreme and crazy. Cage’s control of the character never wavers. After sleepwalking through recent roles in poor productions, here Cage returns to the unique power and promise of his earliest parts in films like Con Air and Raising Arizona. In Bad Lieutenant, Cage is at the height of his talents. His bursts of crazed laughter, his drug-roughed voice - everything is done perfectly to create a character that captivates to the very end. The story is simple and the plot may be pushed to the sidelines, but these things don’t matter. Bad Lieutenant is about one man capering madly on the edge of sanity as he snorts coke, screws women and hallucinates vividly of iguanas and breakdancing souls.

This is a truly magnificent performance from Cage and another stellar film from Herzog, though uniquely different from his usual approach. Highly recommended.

Michael Hawkes 23 May 2010