Depending on whom you talk to or what you read this movie may or may not be based on Abel Ferrera’s 1992 picture Bad Lieutenant starring Harvey Keitel. Having seen both, I can tell you for certain that Terrence McDonagh (Nicholas Cage) is no doubt based on the earlier film even if the plots of the films diverge. Having both of these movies however, it was impossible for me to not compare the two main characters and thus unable to fully appreciate PCNO in its own right.
The good news is Nick Cage is at his wacky and deliberately over the top best and makes this movie worth watching. McDonagh is a painkiller/cocaine/gambling addict who is in love with a high end prostitute (Eva Mendes) who somehow finds time to be a damn good cop. Cage embodies the addict with his frazzled way of thinking and talking, providing moments of great possibly unintentional comedy and tragedy.
Without Cage this movie would be a complete failure. It has no supporting cast at all, with Mendes having nothing beyond a few lines and Val Kilmer who plays Cage’s semi-partner who occasionally attempts to out crazy Cage and falls flat.
Other than putting Cage in the lead this movie does succeed in its choice of New Orleans as its locale. Using a Post Katrina New Orleans may even surpass the grittiness of the 1992 film and its 1980’s New York City backdrop. Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant in the form of Cage definitely does some bad things but they seem explainable and all the while he somehow remains a likeable guy. This a stark contrast to the Keitel character in 1992 that was completely psychopathic and someone you were compelled to root against. Once again, Cage is great and Herzog’s directing style provide some neat moments but overall either as homage or in its own right PCNO comes up way short.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment