Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)
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A decorated police officer struggles with severe drug addiction while navigating the murky underworld of New Orleans.
The story
In August 2005, New Orleans police sergeant Terence McDonagh is evacuating a police precinct during Hurricane Katrina. While packing up another officer's locker, he notices paperwork indicating that a prisoner may still be present in the jail, which should have been evacuated due to rising floodwaters. On investigating, he finds a prisoner indeed about to drown; he and his partner, Stevie Pruit, mock the man's predicament and debate waiting for the fire department to do the job, but ultimately McDonagh jumps in to rescue him. He suffers a back injury in the process and is prescribed Vicodin to manage the pain. The department decides to treat the incident as heroic, and McDonagh is given a medal and promoted to lieutenant.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Six months after his heroic rescue during Hurricane Katrina, Lieutenant Terence McDonagh becomes addicted to Vicodin and other drugs like cocaine and cannabis. He shares drugs with his girlfriend Frankie, a prostitute, and uses his position to bully people and steal drugs. McDonagh is assigned to investigate the murders of five illegal immigrants from Senegal. He eventually forms a partnership with a gang leader named Big Fate, supplying him with police information in exchange for money to pay off debts to a bookie. After a series of escalating crimes and threats, McDonagh plants evidence to arrest Big Fate's crew, eventually leading to Big Fate's arrest. Despite his addictions, McDonagh performs his duties and is promoted to captain. One year later, McDonagh appears sober, but is secretly still taking heroin. He encounters the prisoner he saved at the beginning of the film, who offers to help him escape his addiction. The two men sit together in the Aquarium of the Americas.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 122
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Werner Herzog
- Writers
- William Finkelstein · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Nicolas Cage · Terence McDonagh; Eva Mendes · Frankie Donnenfeld; Val Kilmer; Alvin 'Xzibit' Joiner
- Genres
- black comedy; crime drama
- Themes
- addiction; police misconduct; corruption
- Tone and mood
- unhinged; fearless
- Premise and plot tags
- crime; drama; drug abuse; hurricane
- Franchise connections
- Bad Lieutenant
- Content notes
- substance abuse
- Reception
- The film received largely positive reviews from critics, with praise for Nicolas Cage's performance and Werner Herzog's direction.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · review count: 151; Metacritic · score: 69 · scale: 100 · review count: 32
- Awards and nominations
- Christopher D. Smithers Foundation Special Award · for Herzog · 2009 · won; Best Actor · Toronto Film Critics Association · 2010 · won; Special Jury Prize · Jameson Dublin International Film Festival · 2010 · won; Golden Lion nomination · Venice Film Festival · 2009 · lost; Best Cinematography nomination · Independent Spirit Awards · 2010 · lost
- Production trivia
- Abel Ferrara, the director of the original film, expressed dismay over the production.; The film was first announced in May 2008.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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