Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Werner Herzog |
Written by | William M. Finkelstein |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Zeitlinger |
Edited by | Joe Bini |
Music by | Mark Isham |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | First Look Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 122 minutes[2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $25 million[3] |
Box office | $10.6 million[3] |
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a 2009 American crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Tom Bower, Jennifer Coolidge, Alvin 'Xzibit' Joiner, Val Kilmer, and Brad Dourif. Though the film's title and story loosely resembles that of Abel Ferrara's 1992 film Bad Lieutenant,[4] according to Herzog, it is neither a sequel nor a remake; its only commonality is a corrupt policeman as the central character.[5] Nonetheless, the director of the original Bad Lieutenant film, Abel Ferrara, expressed dismay that the Herzog film was being made.[6] Both Bad Lieutenant films were produced by Edward R. Pressman.
The film premiered on September 9, 2009 at the 66th Venice International Film Festival where it won the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation Special Award for Herzog. It opened in general release in the United States on November 20, 2009.[1]
Plot[]
In August 2005, Terence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) is a New Orleans police sergeant. While cleaning out a locker after Hurricane Katrina, he notices that a prisoner may not have been transferred. When he finds the prisoner about to drown, he mocks him before eventually jumping in the water to save him. He is promoted to police lieutenant and given a medal for his work, but has suffered a serious back injury because of the rescue. As a result, he is prescribed Vicodin to manage the pain.
Six months later, McDonagh is now not only addicted to painkillers, but is habitually using several other drugs including cocaine and cannabis. His girlfriend Frankie Donnenfeld (Eva Mendes), a prostitute, also does cocaine and they often share drugs. He has convinced Heidi (Fairuza Balk), a former co-worker now in another police division, to bring him drugs sent to the evidence room. He has become estranged from his father Pat (Tom Bower), a recovering alcoholic, and his alcoholic stepmother, Genevieve (Jennifer Coolidge). Over the course of the film, he uses his position as an officer to bully people and steal more drugs.
McDonagh is assigned to investigate the murders of five illegal immigrants from Senegal, who were killed for selling drugs in a gang leader's neighborhood. The gang leader, Big Fate (Alvin 'Xzibit' Joiner), has two associates: Midget (Lucius Baston) and G (Tim Bellow). After both are arrested, Big Fate willingly comes to the police station with his lawyer. As they try to gather evidence against Big Fate, McDonagh goes back to a hotel room where he finds Frankie beaten by one of her clients, a seemingly well-connected man named Justin (Shea Whigham). McDonagh threatens Justin and takes $10,000 from him. Later on, a delivery boy who was an auditory witness of the murder scene goes missing. McDonagh finds the witness's grandmother, who works at a nursing home, and threatens to kill one of her patients to make her divulge where the witness has gone. The old woman has sent him to stay with her family in England, to prevent him from getting involved in gang affairs.
In addition to dealing with the murder investigation, McDonagh gets in trouble with his bookie Ned (Brad Dourif) for not paying his debts. What little money McDonagh has is given to a gangster who works for Justin. The gangster (William M. Finkelstein) now requests $50,000 - five times the amount stolen from Justin - as compensation, and gives McDonagh two days to get it. As a result of his treatment of the old woman, McDonagh is on modified duty and his gun placed in the evidence room. McDonagh goes to Big Fate and they become partners, with McDonagh supplying Big Fate with police information. McDonagh now has enough money to pay off his debts to his bookie and uses his surplus earnings to place a new bet. During a celebration of the successful partnership between McDonagh and Big Fate, the gangster shows up, demanding his money. McDonagh offers him a cut worth more than $50,000 from a bag filled with pure heroin, but the gangster wants to take it all. Big Fate and his crew end up killing the gangsters.
To further celebrate their partnership, McDonagh implores Big Fate to smoke crack cocaine with his "lucky crack pipe." He does, and McDonagh later plants the pipe at the murder scene of the Senegal family. The department uses this new evidence to arrest Big Fate and his cronies, but when he and McDonagh are alone with Big Fate, McDonagh's partner, Stevie Pruit (Val Kilmer), threatens to kill Big Fate, as Pruit does not want him to have the chance to escape conviction. McDonagh is outraged at this idea and arrests Big Fate, showing that despite his addictions he can still perform his duties as an officer. McDonagh is later promoted to police captain.
One year later, McDonagh appears to be sober, as does Frankie (who is pregnant with McDonagh's child) and McDonagh's parents, but it turns out that McDonagh is still taking heroin. He encounters the prisoner whom he saved at the beginning of the film, and the man, recognizing McDonagh, exclaims that McDonagh saved his life. The man has been sober for almost a year and offers to help McDonagh finally escape his own addiction. McDonagh simply asks, "Do fish have dreams?" The film ends with the two men in the Aquarium of the Americas sitting on the floor with their backs against a wall-sized fish tank.
Cast[]
- Nicolas Cage as Lieutenant Terence McDonagh, the titular bad lieutenant[7]
- Eva Mendes as Frankie Donnenfeld, A Prostitute and Terence's Love Interest
- Jennifer Coolidge as Genevieve McDonagh
- Val Kilmer as Detective Stevie Pruit, Terence's Partner
- Brad Dourif as Ned Schoenholtz, Terence's Bookie
- Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner as Donald 'Big Fate' Godshaw
- Fairuza Balk as Officer Heidi
- Irma P. Hall as Binnie Rogers
- Tom Bower as Pat McDonagh, Terence's Father
- Michael Shannon as Officer Mundt
- Vondie Curtis-Hall as Captain James Brasser
- Shawn Hatosy as Detective Armand Benoit
- Denzel Whitaker as Daryl
- Shea Whigham as Justin
- Katie Chonacas as Tina
- Lucius Baston as Deshawn 'Midget' Hackett
- Tim Bellow as Gary 'G' Jenkins
- Sam Velasquez as Jerry 'Gremlin' Tennison, Tina's Love Interest
Production[]
Development[]
The film was first announced in May 2008 with Werner Herzog to direct and Nicolas Cage to star. The script was penned by TV writer William Finkelstein.[8]
Actress Eva Mendes, who starred with Cage in the 2007 film Ghost Rider, joined the cast the following June.[9]
Connection to the 1992 film[]
Screenwriter William Finkelstein submitted the original draft of the screenplay to Herzog with the title "Bad Lieutenant." Finkelstein was aware of the 1992 Abel Ferrara film of that name, but swore to Herzog that this would not be a remake, and the director insisted on renaming the film. The two negotiated over the title and settled on Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.[10]
One major change from the original film was moving the setting from New York City to New Orleans.[11] Herzog insists that the film is not a remake, saying, "It only has a corrupt policeman as the central character and that's about it."[5]
At the 81st Academy Awards, Herzog stated that he has never seen Ferrara's film, saying "I haven't seen it, so I can't compare it. It has nothing to do with it."[12] Herzog did not like the idea of a remake and desired to change the title of the film, but was unsuccessful. Herzog stated, "I battled against the title from the first moment on", but added, "I can live with it, I have no problem with it at all. The title is probably a mistake, but so be it."[13]
Filming[]
Principal photography began on July 7, 2008 in Louisiana[14] and also around South Mississippi, shooting some scenes at the Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis.
Abel Ferrara's reaction[]
Abel Ferrara, director of the 1992 film, has been quoted by various media outlets as being very angry about the film. After it was first announced, Ferrara was quoted as saying "As far as remakes go, ... I wish these people die in Hell. I hope they're all in the same streetcar, and it blows up."[15] When asked later for his response to Ferrara's statements, Herzog stated that he does not know who Ferrara is, saying "I've never seen a film by him. I have no idea who he is."[15] At a press conference at the Venice Film Festival after the film's premiere, Herzog said of Ferrara, "I would like to meet the man," and "I have a feeling that if we met and talked -- over a bottle of whisky, I should add -- I think we could straighten everything out."[16] In 2018 at Ferrara said that he had eventually met Herzog and made peace with him.[17]
Release[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Cage_Mendes_Herzog_Venice_Film_Festival_2009.jpg/220px-Cage_Mendes_Herzog_Venice_Film_Festival_2009.jpg)
Although production on the film was completed in 2008, the film did not quickly find a distributor for a wide release. The film had its world premiere at the 2009 Venice Film Festival,[18] and was also screened at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival[19] and the 2009 Telluride Film Festival.
Box office[]
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans opened theatrically on November 20, 2009 by First Look Studios[1] in 27 venues, earning $245,398 in its opening weekend, ranking number 22 at the box office.[20] The film ended its run on March 4, 2010 with 96 venues being its widest release, having grossed $1,702,112 in the domestic box office and $8,886,990 overseas for a worldwide total of $10,589,102.[3]
Critical response[]
The film received largely positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 85% "Certified Fresh" rating based on 149 reviews, with an rating average of 7.24/10. The site's Critics Consensus reads: "Befitting its unorthodox origins, this Bad Lieutenant benefits from Werner Herzog's typically fearless direction and a delightfully unhinged Nicolas Cage in the title role."[21] On Metacritic, the film has a 69 out of 100 rating based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[22]
The Guardian critic Xan Brooks called Cage's work in the film "surely his best performance in years."[23] Blogging about the film from the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival,[24] Roger Ebert declared: "Nicolas Cage is as good as anyone since Klaus Kinski at portraying a man whose head is exploding. It's a hypnotic performance."[25] He also wrote that the film is very different from Abel Ferrara's 1992 film and that "comparisons are pointless." Ebert named the film as among the top 10 best mainstream films of 2009,[26] and then included it in his list of the best films of the decade.[27]
Accolades[]
Top lists[]
The film appeared on several critics' lists of "best films of 2009", including:
- Roger Ebert: top 10 "mainstream films" of 2009[26]
- Aidil Rusli of The Malaysian Insider: favorite movies from 2009[28]
- The Canadian Press: top 10 films of 2009[29]
- Kim Morgan of The Huffington Post: #2 among top 10 films of 2009[30]
- Stan Hall of The Oregonian: #1 among "foreign language and indie films of 2009"[31]
- Jay Stone of Canwest News Service: #1 best film of 2009[32]
- Les Cahiers du cinéma listed it second on their annual Top Ten of 2010,[33] and also featured the film on the cover of their March 2010 issue.[34]
In some regions, the film was not released until 2010:
- James McMahon of NME: #5 among top 10 films of 2010[35]
- Neil Young of Tribune: #6 among top 10 films of 2010[36]
Awards[]
- Venice Film Festival 2009 Golden Lion nomination for Werner Herzog (lost to Samuel Maoz for Lebanon)
- Christopher D. Smithers Foundation Special Award for Werner Herzog
- Independent Spirit Awards 2010 Best Cinematography nomination for Peter Zeitlinger (lost to Roger Deakins for A Serious Man)
- Toronto Film Critics Association 2010 Best Actor award for Nicolas Cage
- Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2010 Special Jury Prize award
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Herzog's BAD LIEUTENANT gets a U.S. release date". 24framespersecond.net. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010.
- ^ "THE BAD LIEUTENANT - PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS (18)". British Board of Film Classification. January 21, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. March 5, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ Goldstein, Gregg (July 2, 2008). "Val Kilmer, Xzibit join 'Bad' update". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Company. Archived from the original on July 14, 2008. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Douglas, Edward (July 5, 2008). "Exclusive: The Bad Lieutenant is NOT a Remake!". ComingSoon.net. Coming Soon Media, L.P. Retrieved August 11, 2008.
- ^ Dawson, Nick (October 17, 2008). "Abel Ferrara, Mary". Filmmaker. New York. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (July 2, 2008). "Kilmer, Xzibit join 'Bad Lieutenant'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ McNary, Dave (May 13, 2008). "Nic Cage to star in 'Bad Lieutenant'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (June 15, 2008). "Eva Mendes eyes 'Bad Lieutenant'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
- ^ http://behindthelensonline.net/html/bad_lieutenant__port_of_call_n.html
- ^ Scott, Mike (May 24, 2008). "One hot homecoming". The Times-Picayune. Advance Publications.
- ^ "Werner Herzog Hasn't Seen Original 'Bad Lieutenant'". Movies Blog.
- ^ http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2009/09/15/tiff-press-conference-diaries-nicolas-cage-and-werner-herzog-on-bad-lieutenant-s-unfortunate-title-and-imaginary-iguanas.aspx
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (June 20, 2008). "Ferrara has few 'Bad' things to say". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Werner Herzog on Abel Ferrara: 'Who Is He?'". Vulture.com. June 5, 2008.
- ^ Lyman, Eric J. (September 4, 2009). "'Bad Lieutenant' and bad blood in Venice". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 6, 2009.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf6K7Mg60lw
- ^ Brown, Mark (July 30, 2009). "Herzog's Bad Lieutenant joins Venice film festival contenders". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant Added To Toronto Fest Lineup - /Film". Slashfilm.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for November 20-22, 2009". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. November 23, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ Brooks, Xan (September 7, 2009). "Bad Lieutenant". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ Lambert, Christine (2009). "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans premiere at 2009 Toronto International Film Festival". DigitalHit.com. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (September 14, 2009). "TIFF #7: It was a very good day". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "The best films of 2009". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 10, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- ^ "The best films of the decade". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010.
- ^ http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/aidil-rusli/47632-my-favourite-movies-from-2009-
- ^ https://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jqAtjcrZ0u0wPj32shy9ZBuM21wA
- ^ Morgan, Kim (March 18, 2010). "Top Ten Movies of 2009". Huffington Post.
- ^ "Beyond the Multiplex's Top 10 foreign language and indie films of 2009". The Oregonian. December 30, 2009.
- ^ https://nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2359475
- ^ "Top Ten 2010, Décembre 2010 – n°662". Cahiers du cinema.
- ^ "Flic ou voyou ? Bad Lieutenant de Werner Herzog, Mars 2010 n°654". Cahiers du cinema.
- ^ "What Were The Best Films Of 2010?". NME.COM.
- ^ "Ten top movie hits and six near-misses". tribunemagazine.co.uk.
External links[]
- 2009 films
- English-language films
- American films
- 2009 crime drama films
- American crime drama films
- Films directed by Werner Herzog
- Films set in New Orleans
- Films set in 2005
- Films set in 2006
- Films set in 2007
- Films shot in New Orleans
- Films about police misconduct
- Films about Hurricane Katrina
- Films about the illegal drug trade
- Films about cocaine
- Saturn Films films
- Films scored by Mark Isham
- Films shot in Mississippi