Bad Lieutenant - Nick Cage is unreal!

Sean Quagmire

Admittedly I'm not a huge Nicolas cage fan, I find him a bit whiny and not much of a lead actor, but he really went for it in this one. I'd recommend this one a lot, it's a bit strange and unusual in most parts but seeing Cage play a character on a path of self destruction is very funny in a dark kind of way.

I'm still laughing at some of his lines

particularly one where is on the hunt for a local gangster named 'G'. Every time he mentions his name he has a chuckle to himself,

again it's very funny to watch.

Definitely a must watch, just for the great performance at least. Although you might ask what the hell is going on as the story is very linear. Its seems to just roll from one thing to the other, showing a snapshot of the Lieutenants life.

Morlar

Haven't seen it yet but 'I have got a baad feeling about this'.

bonerm

Morlar wrote: »

Haven't seen it yet but 'I have got a baad feeling about this'.

You should have a good feeling about it. The

handgun + old lady + portable electric razor

scene is the stuff of legend.

Morlar

bonerm wrote: »

You should have a good feeling about it. The

handgun + old lady + portable electric razor

scene is the stuff of legend.

I steered clear of the reviews of this as it sounded like a train wreck in progress - if it's getting good reviews then I might actually check it out. Can not remember the last good thing nic cage was in also remaking contemporary movies is rarely a good idea but if the verdict is good might give it a shot.

johnny_ultimate

It's the funniest film in years. Herzog may be a wee bit on the mad side sometimes, but when he puts out stuff like this you've got to love him. It's the weirdest, nuttiest film around. It's probably Herzog's odd attempt to create something resembling a parody film of the procedural police drama, and he definitely got that down right. As said, the

nursing home

scene is the loopiest, most darkly hilarious scene you'll see in a long time!

Renn

Morlar wrote: »

I steered clear of the reviews of this as it sounded like a train wreck in progress - if it's getting good reviews then I might actually check it out. Can not remember the last good thing nic cage was in also remaking contemporary movies is rarely a good idea but if the verdict is good might give it a shot.

It's not a remake.

mailforkev

Nicholas Cage puts in a pretty solid performance, but I really thought the film itself was two hours of my life I won't be getting back.

Miguel_Sanchez

Renn wrote: »

It's not a remake.

It really isn't.

Herzog strongly opposed the studio calling it Bad Lieutenant but didn't get his way.

I really enjoyed the film myself. I thought Cage was suitably crazy throughout.

johnny_ultimate

The 'remake' controversy is a shame alright. I've never seen the original, but I know Abel Ferrera came out strongly against this. But take the movie on its own terms, and it's a superb and unique piece of work. Herzog's eccentricities don't always benefit the film - My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done is far less successful IMO - but here he hit just the right spot. And in Cage he's definitely found a worthy collaborator, like he did with Klaus Kinski back in the day. Cage has really impressed in the likes of this and Adaptation: he just needs to work with better directors, and stop making scholocky supernatural apocalypse films :pac:

Warper

It mightn't be an official remake in that the story is different but the main character is essentially the same. The original "Bad Lieutenant" is miles better and Harvey Keitel is much better at portraying the insanity of the man. Overall a disappointing unofficial remake of the original classic. Cage's character is a bit OTT and cartoon-like to be believable whereas Keitel's was truly troubled and believable.

Renn

I wish people would stop making silly comparisons

Miguel_Sanchez

Warper wrote: »

It mightn't be an official remake in that the story is different but the main character is essentially the same. The original "Bad Lieutenant" is miles better and Harvey Keitel is much better at portraying the insanity of the man. Overall a disappointing unofficial remake of the original classic. Cage's character is a bit OTT and cartoon-like to be believable whereas Keitel's was truly troubled and believable.

Couldn't disagree more. They're not the same character at all.

Also - since they actually used the name then surely you can't say it's an unofficial remake. They actually paid for the rights to the name so it would be classed as an official remake - although it isn't, it's just that using the name was something the studios thought would help it do business I think.

Duggy747

Technically, it's not a remake. It was the studio who called it Bad Lieutenant, not Herzog.

I guess it was a clever ploy to get people to notice the film even more.

nosco

I don't think I'm artistically mature to get this movie. Thought it was shockingly bad.

jane wani

nosco wrote: »

I don't think I'm artistically mature to get this movie. Thought it was shockingly bad.

no dont worry ...you are correct .
whichever way you look at it remake or no remake...its poo.
i have seen the original ..that is a good movie..you feel for the character of the wayward policeman..harvey keitel is simply great..

but this piece of muck is a total waste of time..the only thing you can do is laugh...ice cube...???dear god...
the only scene worth anything is the when he meets up with ice cube in the gangsters front room...and smokes some crack..

otherwise avoid this at all costs..utter rubbish

Miguel_Sanchez

jane wani wrote: »

the only scene worth anything is the when he meets up with ice cube in the gangsters front room...and smokes some crack..

Ice Cube isn't in this film.

jane wani

Jeff_Lebowski wrote: »

Ice Cube isn't in this film.

well excuse me..my mistake...eXhibit ..is the other rapper who cannot act whio is in this muck.. sorry about that ..im always mixing up my cant act rappers..ice cube, ice t ,exhibit ...who cares they is baaaaaad actors

AnonoBoy

jane wani wrote: »

well excuse me..my mistake...eXhibit ..is the other rapper who cannot act whio is in this muck.. sorry about that ..im always mixing up my cant act rappers..ice cube, ice t ,exhibit ...who cares they is baaaaaad actors

Ice Cube was great in Three Kings.

jane wani

jane wani wrote: »

well excuse me..my mistake...eXhibit ..is the other rapper who cannot act whio is in this muck.. sorry about that ..im always mixing up my cant act rappers..ice cube, ice t ,exhibit ...who cares they is baaaaaad actors

No theyr'e not, Ice Cube has turned in a number of great performances and even Xzibit has more than his far share of decent performances, granted neither will ever be considered amongst the greats but neither is an actor and as such their performances are more than satisfactory.

Orizio

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Ice Cube was great in Three Kings.

Boyz In The Hood as well.

patch

The best thing about this movie is cage getting back to what he's good at, playing a nut job!
Vampires kiss and wild at heart being two fine examples.

Dermighty

One of the best movies I've ever seen, it really is outstanding.

He is a really good actor.

johnny_ultimate

jane wani wrote: »

the only thing you can do is laugh...

Indeed, which tends to be the central goal of comedies.

Liam O

jane wani wrote: »

well excuse me..my mistake...eXhibit ..is the other rapper who cannot act whio is in this muck.. sorry about that ..im always mixing up my cant act rappers..ice cube, ice t ,exhibit ...who cares they is baaaaaad actors

slightly racist seeing as how they pretty much have nothing in common other than they're rappers turned actors and I assume you've been taking grammar lessons from Ice Cube and Xzibit with that bit that I've put in bold.

Anyway, thought Xzibit was quite a good supporting character in this. Movie itself is very trippy and I really enjoyed it. Was just a fun movie that didn't really pretend to be anything more.

nosco

Liam O wrote: »

slightly racist seeing as how they pretty much have nothing in common other than they're rappers turned actors and I assume you've been taking grammar lessons from Ice Cube and Xzibit with that bit that I've put in bold.

How is it racist? Seems like rappers turned actors is exactly the comparison he is highlighting here.

Playboy

jane wani wrote: »

no dont worry ...you are correct .
whichever way you look at it remake or no remake...its poo.
i have seen the original ..that is a good movie..you feel for the character of the wayward policeman..harvey keitel is simply great..

but this piece of muck is a total waste of time..the only thing you can do is laugh...ice cube...???dear god...
the only scene worth anything is the when he meets up with ice cube in the gangsters front room...and smokes some crack..

otherwise avoid this at all costs..utter rubbish

Disagree. Maybe you went into the movie with wrong expectations? Have you watched much of Herzog's stuff? Any fan of Herzogs would have loved this! Its not meant to be anything like the original. Its a character piece as is nearly all of Herzogs movies ... its just that the character is insane in a very OTT way. Its meant to be funny, surreal, OTT, and satirical and it pulls it off brilliantly.

Warper

Playboy wrote: »

Disagree. Maybe you went into the movie with wrong expectations? Have you watched much of Herzog's stuff? Any fan of Herzogs would have loved this! Its not meant to be anything like the original. Its a character piece as is nearly all of Herzogs movies ... its just that the character is insane in a very OTT way. Its meant to be funny, surreal, OTT, and satirical and it pulls it off brilliantly.

This is not true - the most essential thing about this film is "The Bad Lieutenant" i.e the main character. It is more than just a coincidence that the main character is a carbon copy of the main character in the original "Bad Lieutenant". Comparisons are inevitable - it even shares the same name. The storyline might be different but it may as well be Bad Lieutenant Part 2.

I saw the original "Bad Lieutenant" just a couple of months ago on C4 and thought it was excellent. Then a film comes along with the same name and the same main character. To me this is a cop-out. I take it most of the people that are raving about this havn't seen the original or maybe saw it so long ago that they have forgotten it. For those who havn't seen the original, go watch it and judge for yourself how original Nicholas Cage's character is.

goingpostal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXNfHb9b6Y0

My favourite scene from the film. I love the music used. It is probably the best movie I have seen all year. Nicolas Cage is stunning in it, it had been too long since I saw him give a good performance like this. Eva Mendes is stunning in this, I love the strange colours Herzog uses, it really gives New Orleans a very post-apocalyptic feel. Xzibit is grand in it, plays his role well. I can see why it wouldn't be for everyone, its the kind of film you would love or hate. I never saw the original Bad Lieutenant, so I have nothing to compare it to. All the drug using scenes that Cage does in it, I had to keep asking myself, is he acting or just being himself.

mikhail

Warper wrote: »

I saw the original "Bad Lieutenant" just a couple of months ago on C4 and thought it was excellent. Then a film comes along with the same name and the same main character. To me this is a cop-out. I take it most of the people that are raving about this havn't seen the original or maybe saw it so long ago that they have forgotten it. For those who havn't seen the original, go watch it and judge for yourself how original Nicholas Cage's character is.

You're reading a lot into a name the producers foisted onto the director, but I'll ignore that for the moment.

I saw the Ferrara Bad Lieutenant maybe a month or two before I saw the Herzog one. I thought it was interesting, but honestly I couldn't love a film in which the character arc was a parabola off a cliff. It seemed to be deliberately repulsive just to provoke an audience reaction. Herzog's movie is a parody of a police procedural, a surreal black comedy. They share a character, somewhat. That's all.

Where Ferrara's titular lieutenant evokes only a little sympathy and a lot of revulsion, Herzog's is definitely sympathetic in his relationships with his girlfriend, father and stepmother (who find redemption even while he can't). Where Ferrara's is a dead man walking, Herzog's is a con man who's probably never been fully in control and will probably come close to the abyss more than once. Ferrara's lieutenant makes one final act of mercy out of fear for his soul, and it's not enough, but Herzog's makes his act of mercy right at the start and it might save him.

I probably can't convince you that Herzog made the better film, but I don't think you can argue that he made some sort of pathetic rehash.

e_e

goingpostal wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXNfHb9b6Y0

My favourite scene from the film. I love the music used. It is probably the best movie I have seen all year. Nicolas Cage is stunning in it, it had been too long since I saw him give a good performance like this. Eva Mendes is stunning in this, I love the strange colours Herzog uses, it really gives New Orleans a very post-apocalyptic feel. Xzibit is grand in it, plays his role well. I can see why it wouldn't be for everyone, its the kind of film you would love or hate. I never saw the original Bad Lieutenant, so I have nothing to compare it to. All the drug using scenes that Cage does in it, I had to keep asking myself, is he acting or just being himself.

Herzog also used that music in an earlier film, good stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUcTvhyof8I

Herzog may be my favorite person in the world.

johnny_ultimate

e_e wrote: »

Herzog may be my favorite person in the world.

He'll be your favourite even more once you watch this utterly insane short:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDBtCb61Sd4

Plus, token 'Herzog thread link to him getting shot' video, since every Herzog thread demands it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXqc8TQ15w

Also, there's the awesome story about him saving Joquain Phoenix from a car crash, and then disappearing into the night.

The man is brilliant.

Renn

Still think the guy was going for Kermode there.

OwaynOTT

Got a whiff of the joker off him in this, for a while.

mikhail

Just to add to the Herzog-fest the thread is turning into, Hugo Weaving claims to have listened to tapes of Herzog to figure out the Red Skull accent in the new Captain America movie.

There's also the story behind the short film Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe. I believe this is the film.

SVG

Echoing all the Herzog love!

Also, there's the awesome story about him saving Joquain Phoenix from a car crash, and then disappearing into the night.

I posted this on the I'm Not Here thread too but I love it so much:

Herzog is great at channelling the crazy with actors; Nic Cage, Christian Bale, Klaus Kinski...

opr

Awesome stuff "To the break of Dawn, baby"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TWyj3gGPWU

Opr

johnnyskeleton

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Indeed, which tends to be the central goal of comedies.

Is this film a comedy though?

I tought it was but when I say it it wasn't a comedy, bar a few slightly surreal scenes.

johnny_ultimate

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Is this film a comedy though?

I tought it was but when I say it it wasn't a comedy, bar a few slightly surreal scenes.

There are plenty of scenes which are so outrageous they definitely become farce - that masterpiece of a sequence in the nursing home springs to mind. Overall, I'd call it perhaps the strangest satire ever made. It's making light of all the seriousness and cliches of the typical cop film, albeit in totally demented ways. It has a bizarre tone, granted, and takes a while to cop on Herzog's taking the very unique piss, but when the jaunty music started up during the lizard scene, it's fairly certain we're in the realms of black comedy IMO!

feelpablo

watched this last night after reading this thread and all i can say is wow!!!

the show is demented, i think thats the best description i can give it

I enjoyed everything about it, but the stand out scene for me was the lizard scene...cage is so out of his tree and the music!!!

Just WOW!!!