Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

R

Released Nov 20, 2009

2 hr. 1 min.

Crime

Drama

List

86%

156 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Terence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) isn't doing so well. He has a nasty painkiller addiction, courtesy of an injury he sustained while rescuing a prisoner during Hurricane Katrina. Plus, there's his alcoholic father (Tom Bower), boozy wife (Jennifer Coolidge) and prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mendes). And, he's just been saddled with a rookie partner (Shawn Hatosy). Now Terence must pull himself back from the edge of insanity to investigate a series of murders that has the city on edge.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Paul S

Wow that's awful. Feels false at every moment, and what a waste to be set in New Orleans with so little local character.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

Jonathan G

Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans" is an absolute banger of a film in terms of direction, cinematography, and performances, which makes it utterly unbelievable as to how it fell into obscurity. The writing is impeccable as always, and this deserves to be held at a higher pedestal.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/24

Full Review

Anonymous D

it was terrible. I loved it!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/24

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Dave S

It might be unfair to compare Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans to its predecessor, Abel Ferrara's more succinctly titled Bad Lieutenant, but it doesn't match up favorably. The premise is the same – a wayward cop descends into the world of drugs, making life difficult for those who cross his path. Beyond that, there is really no comparison between the two. While Ferrara's film is a cautionary tale of the abuse of power and the horrors of addiction, Herzog is seemingly content to add a comedic spin to things, including dancing souls and imaginary iguanas. To further muddy its impact, the dialogue is often trite and Nicholas Cage's performance is, at times, way over the top, sometimes creating intentional laughs but more consistently inducing uncomfortable and unintentional laughter. Suggestion: stick to the original.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/24/23

Full Review

Anne G

A high energy story of descent and (maybe?) redemption. Not sure why the audience reviews were so low on this - I guess if you don't like portrayals of hallucinated iguanas/lizards/alligators you may find it artsy. Cage is perfect for the role.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/04/23

Full Review

Distorted A

Will re-watch. Cages character was unhinged lmao

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/11/23

Full Review

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Werner Herzog

Director

Nicolas Cage

Terence McDonaugh

Eva Mendes

Frankie Donnenfield

Val Kilmer

Stevie Pruit

Xzibit

Big Fate

Fairuza Balk

Heidi

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Bad Lieutenant invites us along for the ride, and even says 'welcome aboard' and asks: how might we entertain you today? This is Herzog and it's fun, and you don't get many of those for the pound. Get it while you can.

Aug 30, 2018

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Gritty, raw, and kooky at times, Bad Lieutenant is one of those movies that you can't really look away, even though you may want to for certain scenes.

Rated: B+

Sep 11, 2017

Full Review

Lou Lumenick

New York Post

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 19, 2011

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

One of Herzog's more artistically successful rare ventures into quasi-commercial, quasi-Hollywood filmmaking...

Nov 10, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

From the obsession-obsessed director Werner Herzog [...] it boasts one of the best performances from its star, Nicolas Cage.

Rated: 4/4

Aug 28, 2023

Full Review

Emiliano Basile

EscribiendoCine

Herzog introduces us to a story with a protagonist whose actions overflow with decadence, not only reflecting upon Christian morality like Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant (1992) but revealing a New Orleans damned by decadence. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 8/10

Aug 1, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Terence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) isn't doing so well. He has a nasty painkiller addiction, courtesy of an injury he sustained while rescuing a prisoner during Hurricane Katrina. Plus, there's his alcoholic father (Tom Bower), boozy wife (Jennifer Coolidge) and prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mendes). And, he's just been saddled with a rookie partner (Shawn Hatosy). Now Terence must pull himself back from the edge of insanity to investigate a series of murders that has the city on edge.

Director: Werner Herzog
Executive Producer: Avi Lerner, Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Elliot Rosenblatt
Screenwriter: William M. Finkelstein
Distributor: First Look
Production Co: Edward R. Pressman Film Corp.
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Drug Use|Sexuality|Some Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 20, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 11, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7M

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