Rights holder / Distributor: Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation / First Look Studios
„The Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans“ („Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans“") is a 2009 American darkly humorous crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog according to the scenario of William Finkelstein. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 9, 2009, and its American premiere was on November 20 of the same year. The production is affiliated with "„The Bad Lieutenant“" from 1992, but it does not continue its plot and is not a remake, but an independent interpretation of the idea of a morally corrupt police officer.
Set in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, the story follows Lieutenant Terrence McDonagh, who is both investigating a brutal crime and battling his own personal addictions. After a serious injury he sustained while rescuing a prisoner during the hurricane, he becomes addicted to painkillers, and gambling and drugs further complicate his life. Against the backdrop of the devastated city, the investigation gradually draws him into a world of dealers, violence and corruption, as the line between his professional duty and his personal ruin begins to blur.
Plot
Terrence McDonagh is a police officer who, ironically, must maintain order while he himself finds it increasingly difficult to control his life. The investigation of the murder of five Senegalese immigrants leads him into a drug world where everyone has their own interests and no one seems completely innocent. Meanwhile, addictions, gambling and his relationship with prostitute Frankie turn his personal problems into an integral part of the criminal story.
Instead of building a classic detective story, the film uses the investigation as a framework for the character's gradual descent into chaos. McDonagh often acts impulsively and unpredictably, but at the same time he has the instinct of an experienced police officer, which allows him to sense danger. Thus, the story constantly balances between criminal intrigue, black comedy and psychological portrait of a man trying to survive among his own addictions.
Directing
Werner Herzog transforms New Orleans into an almost surreal character. The devastation after Katrina, the humid atmosphere, the music and unusual visual solutions create the feeling of a city in which reality is constantly blurred. The director does not strive for a realistic police drama, but consciously mixes a crime plot with absurdity, black humor and moments that seem like hallucinations.
This is one of the most special movies in his crime filmography and stands quite differently from his documentary works such as "„Grizzly Man“" and "„Encounters at the End of the World“". However, Herzog's typical interest in people placed in extreme situations and gradually losing control of the world around them is felt. The direction leaves enough freedom to the actors, but at the same time maintains the feeling that the entire film moves on the edge between reality and absurdity.
Acting
Nicolas Cage is the engine of the entire production and builds Terrence McDonagh as a character who is simultaneously repulsive, funny, unpredictable and tragic. The actor deliberately plays at very high speeds and turns the character's nervous outbursts, strange reactions and impulsive behavior into part of the film's style. Eva Mendes also performs convincingly as Frankie – a woman who knows McDonagh's weaknesses but remains emotionally connected to him.
The supporting cast includes: Val Kilmer, Xybit, Fairuza Bolk, Sean Hatosi, Jennifer Coolidge, Brad Dourif and Michael Shannon. Particularly interesting is the fact that Kilmer plays McDonagh's partner while Shannon appears in one of the memorable supporting roles. The acting is a far cry from the restraint of the 1992 original, but it's this exaggerated energy that helps the film build its own character.
Conclusion
„The Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans“"it doesn't have the harsh and almost religious gloom of the film Abel Ferrara, but it doesn't try to copy it. Instead Duke creates a strange mix of crime drama, black comedy, and psychological portrait, in which post-Katrina New Orleans becomes a fitting backdrop for the protagonist's moral and physical chaos. It is the unpredictable tone that makes the production interesting, even if it may not appeal to every viewer.
The connection with "„The Bad Lieutenant“" (1992) is mostly conceptual, but the two films are united by the idea of a police officer confronting his own downfall. This series later received another independent interpretation with "„Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo“" (2026), directed by Taakshi Miike, which shows how many different directions the same basic idea can take. For fans of Nicolas Cage, Werner Herzog and the unusual crime cinema this is a title that definitely deserves attention.
