BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS

So, in 1992 Abel Ferrara directed a film called 'Bad Lieutenant', starring Harvey Keitel as a corrupt and depraved police officer.

Then in 2009 Werner Herzog makes this film, starring Nicholas Cage, about a police officer with some personal issues, let us say, and with a similar title.

This annoyed Ferrara, at least initially, and caused a certain amount of confusion as to the relationship of this film to the earlier one.

Given that the 1992 film is a completely uncompromising depiction of someone with drug and gambling addictions whose life is spiralling out of control, I wondered whether the Herzog-Cage combo could produce anything more gross.

Turns out the answer is 'no', for the simple reason that there is no meaningful connection between the two films, and that this film is aiming for something quite different, a kind of deranged black comedy.

In comparison to the 1992 film this one is almost a feel-good popcorn movie.  Well OK, that may be overstating it, because although the ending is surprisingly upbeat, before we get to it Cage's life does seem to be going down the toilet on multiple fronts.

Firstly, he has a drug addiction problem, due to having to take painkillers following a back injury.  This leads him to use his position as a police officer to get hold of money and drugs. He also resorts to gambling which inevitably leads to him owing money to a bookie.

On a personal front, he has a girlfriend of sorts who is a sex worker who is also on drugs. He is also estranged from his father, an ex-alcoholic, and his alcoholic stepmother.

As a way of solving his money problems he falls in with some drug gangsters but is somehow able to turn things around by pinning a murder rap on them, thus emerging smelling of roses.  

Cage is in his element throughout, as a guy whose head always seems to be on the point of exploding, and generally enjoying himself, especially in a scene where he uses extreme measures to get information out of a senior citizen residing in a care home.

RATING: ✓ If You've Nothing Better To Do