Bad Lieutenant (2009)
"The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans" (original title)

Terence McDonagh is a drug- and gambling-addled detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigating the killing of five Senegalese immigrants.

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writers:

William M. Finkelstein (screenplay), Victor Argo (earlier film "Bad Lieutenant"),

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer

4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	Terence McDonagh
Eva Mendes	...	Frankie Donnenfield
Val Kilmer	...	Stevie Pruit
Xzibit	...	Big Fate (as Alvin 'Xzibit' Joiner)
Fairuza Balk	...	Heidi
Shawn Hatosy	...	Armand Benoit
Jennifer Coolidge	...	Genevieve
Tom Bower	...	Pat McDonagh
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Captain James Brasser (as Vondie Curtis Hall)
Brad Dourif	...	Ned Schoenholtz
Denzel Whitaker	...	Daryl
Irma P. Hall	...	Binnie Rogers
Shea Whigham	...	Justin
Michael Shannon	...	Mundt
Joe Nemmers	...	Larry Moy

Storyline

After Katrina, police sergeant Terence McDonagh rescues a prisoner, hurts his back in the process and earns a promotion to lieutenant plus an addiction to cocaine and painkillers. Six months later, a family is murdered over drugs; Terence runs the investigation. His drug-using prostitute girlfriend, his alcoholic father's dog, run-ins with two old women and a well-connected john, gambling losses, a nervous young witness, and thefts of police property put Terence's job and then his life in danger. He starts seeing things. He wants a big score to get out from under mounting debts, so he joins forces with drug dealers. The murders remain unsolved. A bad lieutenant gets worse.

---

Plot Keywords:

drugs | lieutenant | prostitute | prisoner | debt | 

---

Taglines:

The only criminal he can't catch is himself.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use and language throughout, some violence and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

11 September 2009 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Filming Locations:

840 Teche Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£178,953 (UK) (21 May 2010)

Gross:

£532,700 (UK) (28 May 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Millennium Films, Edward R. Pressman Film, Saturn Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Veteran television writer William M. Finkelstein's first feature film screenwriting credit.

---

Goofs

When McDonagh arrives at the RTA involving the alligator there is a red pick-up truck in between the two lanes of freeway traffic. Then, when he asks Lt. Stoyer to do him a favour, the truck is not there.

---

Quotes

Terence McDonagh: Is this the same police force my father was in?

---

Connections

References The Price Is Right (1972)

---

Soundtracks

"C.C. RIDER"
Arranged by Brian Leake
Published by Standard Music Library (PRS)/Henning Music (BMI)
Courtesy of 5 Alarm Music Library

User Reviews

a truly different film, vividly acted and directed

This movie is filled with humor and turns, it's jazzy and entertaining but not that similar to Abel Ferrara's 1992 story, in spite of the title. It features a wonderful and very much involved performance from Nicholas Cage, a lot of very black humor and gets to develop a strong pessimism. The story is appropriately set in New Orleans (during the Hurricane Katrina's aftermath) and mainly shows what occurs to good people when bad people prosper. Nicholas Cage aside, Val Kilmer doesn't probably manages to do much, but Mendes and Dourif deliver convincing performances. Abel Ferrara's "Bad Lieutenant" was a dirty depiction of a strongly damaged detective (played by Harvey Keitel), where, leaving from the illusions of a drug-induced cop, ended up involving a lot of Catholic guilt. Here there's more action and humor than that stuff, not that the movie is shallow but probably it's just a bit more unpretentious.