Bizarre black comedy starring Nicolas Cage as a New Orleans police detective trying to solve a homicide case, whilst his addiction to narcotics sends him into anarchy.
Set in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Bad Lieutenant follows the shameful antics of Terrence McDonagh (Cage) as he half-heartedly attempts to solve a murder case, in which the family of a drug dealer were brutally murdered. Terrence’s private life is one of grotesque wickedness, using illegal substances, taking part in illegal gambling, and consorting with prostitutes (one of which is Eva Mendez). He also uses his status as a cop to acquire free drugs, either by scamming them from the evidence room or from robbing unsuspecting suspects on the street.
As Terrence becomes more heavily dependent on substances, his grip on reality becomes distorted, and his desperation takes a heavy toll on the innocents he encounters, as well as the criminals he chases.
Aside from a few funny moments, this film was a total disappointment. The story is only loosely held throughout, the script seems to shy away from any realistic portrayal of modern crime, and, by the end, the audience is left with very little to take from the film…apart from: do anything you want, and things may work out. By using a character whose main flaw is substance abuse, the film hides its shoddy editing behind a smokescreen of apparent “trippy” moments for Cage’s character, which, instead of creating an ethereal quality, render the film inconsistent and disjointed.
Cage’s portrayal of this hunchback-cum-junkie is amusing for a while, but soon becomes abhorrent and offensive. Eva Mendez provides the only likeable main character, but is not enough to save this film.
If you want to watch a worthwhile film that deals intelligently with drug abuse and hallucinations, try Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas (1998).
No comments:
Post a Comment