Starts February 25

by Christa G.

Nicholas Cage delivers an Oscar®-worthy performance as the troubled hero in Werner Herzog’s dark crime thriller which also faithfully captures the atmosphere of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. William M Finkelstein has re-written the screenplay based on an earlier film written by Victor Argo. It also stars Val Kilmer and Eva Mendes.

Second Opinion by Marinell H.

½

Whatever possessed director Werner Herzog to remake Bad Lieutenant is anyone’s guess. Relocating to “The Big Easy” adds nothing to the story, and Spike Lee’s documentary, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, better shows New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Nicholas Cage’s (as Terence McDonagh) mindless ranting and screeching is a stark contrast to Harvey Keitel’s (in the original version) quiet, courageous character probe of a man sliding into a hellish abyss of his own addictions-induced creation. Keitel’s portrayal challenges us to (perhaps warily) want to care what happens to him, whereas Cage made me just want to shut-him-the-hell-up. If you want, and have stomach for the viscerally graphic experience of walking a gritty thin line of a corrupt police detective, watch director Abel Ferrara’s 1992 original version (simply, Bad Lieutenant, ****); it would be time much better spent.