Been there, done that. Werner Herzog’s off-the-rails, “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” will give you some absurdist laughs and perhaps give you a second or two of awe at some of the ludicrously audacious moments (the lizards, the crocodile, the breakdancing soul) and ha ha ha! it’s very ironically funny, but unlike classic Herzog films there’s just too little weight, gravitas or profundity to be found (read our full review from TIFF). There’s no real meat to hold on to. It’s a hollow experience that’s good for semi-entertaining guffaws, but has zero long-tail resonance and at the end of the day is definitely nowhere near the top of Herzog’s finest work.
Either way, the new official trailer has arrived. Here’s the synopsis too.
A rogue detective (Nicolas Cage) is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs — while playing fast and loose with the law. He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion, and conscience.
The film stars Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Xzibit, Fairuza Bulk and Jennifer Coolidge. The very budget studio First Look Pictures are releasing the picture on November 20. If you’re looking for simple entertainment value, ‘Bad Lieutenant’ probably won’t disappoint (especially for non-discerning moviegoers), but if you’re looking for a bit of that Herzog magic, the ecstatic incandescence of truth, you’re going to remain unsatiated. His foray into American filmmaking thus far has not been very successful. If you do want a glimpse of Herzog’s genius, look for the “spoon” sequence in this movie. It’s the closest the movie ever comes to reaching the divinity he’s known to capture. Here’s the trailer below.