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Movie Review: Bad Lieutenant

Sara Harowitz — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:01:08 +0000

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It’s every citizen’s worst fear: a cop who willingly and continuously breaks the law; and even worse, a cop who gets away with it. Yet somehow, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is still an enjoyable watch.

Directed by Werner Herzog, Bad Lieutenant tells the story of Terence (Nicholas Cage), a rogue detective who is equally as devoted to his job as he is to scoring illegal drugs. Taking place in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the film follows Terence as he tries to find the drug dealing killer of a low-income family, all the while smoking and howling like a mad man.

Appearing high and/or delusional in every scene, Terence wields his gun, flashes his badge, and threatens everyone around him to get what he wants. And most of the time what he wants is drugs. He steals drugs from young couples at nightclubs, makes drug deals with the criminals he is supposed to be arresting, smokes drugs in front of just about anyone, and even carries around a lucky crack pipe.

Cage does a convincing job as the out-of-his-mind lieutenant, acting as over-the-top as such a character requires. However, some motivation does seem a little random. At times his bursts of anger seem to come from nowhere at all and relate to absolutely nothing. His body language feels a little forced – a permanent hunchback due to a back injury (the primary cause of his needing the drugs). Still, when you’re that insane, you’re bound to be a little melodramatic.

The film also stars Eva Mendes, who plays Terence’s prostitute girlfriend named Frankie. She plays her part well, although you can’t help but wonder how the two of them met (you don’t find out).

Another major player in Bad Lieutenant is the reptile. Yes, you read that right. Herzog needed a way to play with the fact that Terence is always high. And, he found an effective one. With iguanas and alligators showing up at various crime scenes and police offices, the audience is made to feel as if they are hallucinating along with Terence.

One of the criminals that Terence is after is played by ride-pimping rapper Xzibit. And surprisingly, when the cornrows and baggy jeans are gone, he cleans up pretty nice. Xzibit even plays his character well, appearing both shocked and amused as the wild Terence snorts coke along with him.

Everyone involved in Bad Lieutenant has made it clear that this is not a re-make of Abel Ferrara’s 1992 flick, called, well, Bad Lieutenant. Still, many are bound to be confused by the title match, along with the loose plot similarity of a crazy, drug-addicted detective.

So let’s recap. Bad Lieutenant is insane. It’s as insane as Terence trying to function on three hits of coke and two hours of sleep. Sound intriguing? Well, it is. If a movie’s main goal is to entertain, then Bad Lieutenant gets an A+. It’s got some action, it’s humorous, and it’s just freaky (define that word how you wish) enough to keep audiences engaged. Still, don’t be alarmed if you come out of it a little confused. Or, maybe a little high…not high on drugs, though. Drugs are bad…or maybe badass. You decide.

Bad Lieutenant (Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant, that is) opens in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal on Nov. 20.

Nicholas Cage Sues Ex-Business Manager

Vanessa Baker — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:13:12 +0000

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Oscar-winner Nicholas Cage has filed a $20 million lawsuit against his former business manager, Samuel Levin, reports CBC. Cage is accusing Levin of negligence and fraud.

“Instead of protecting and preserving Cage’s wealth during one of the greatest economic periods in the country’s history, Levin placed Cage in numerous highly speculative and risky real estate investments, resulting in Cage suffering catastrophic losses,” says the suit, filed in Los Angeles Friday.

Levin worked for Cage from 2001 to 2008 and collected millions of dollars in fees from the actor during that time period.

The court documents claim Cage was forced to sell assets and investments at a major loss. This comes shortly after the actor was charged $6.6 million in back income taxes and penalties by U.S. authorities.

Nicolas Cage to Reduce Acting Workload

andPOP Staff — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 23:54:57 +0000

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Actor Nicolas Cage announced over the weekend that he is taking a step back from appearing in films to focus on other endeavours.

“I feel I’ve made a lot of movies already and I want to start exploring other opportunities… whether it’s writing or other interests,” he said, according to the BBC.

The 42-year-old mentioned an interest in developing independent film-making in the Bahamas, where he now resides.

The decision, however, doesn’t mean that Cage will be off screens anytime soon. He has around eight projects set for release over 2007-08.

DVD Review: National Treasure

Adam Gonshor — Fri, 06 May 2005 14:14:25 +0000

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The ridiculousness of National Treasure is summed up by one Nicolas Cage line: “The dollar bill is trying to tell me something.”

I’m prepared to suspend my beliefs while watching any movie, including this one, but there’s a certain point that makes me shake my head. The absurdity of this film takes away from everything that’s good?and there are many good things about this movie.

It’s an adventure from start to finish, and sure you can guess how it will end after watching the trailer, but it’s still entertaining.

Nicolas Cage stars as Ben Gates, who follows clues, leading him to an invisible treasure map on the back of the United States Declaration of Independence. Seriously.

It would be a stretch to say Cage is at his best in National Treasure, though he isn’t bad. He always seems nervous but has the confidence to continue the trek and almost make it believable (almost). The character is cursed however since he is forced into a love plot with Abigail Chase, played by Diane Kruger, though they barely have any convincing scenes together and have no screen time to show the audience that this relationship is properly built up.

The bonus features give this DVD some credibility. Included is an hour’s worth of material, such as deleted scenes, an alternate ending, featurettes, and an interactive puzzle.

2.5*