Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)

The story kicks off with some real momentum, but honestly, it just kind of loses steam halfway through. The ending felt incredibly cheap—just this forced, happy little resolution where the girl ends up marrying a junkie with a wrecked back. Suddenly, all his massive problems just evaporate in five minutes flat. It’s ridiculous. I also thought Nicolas Cage gave a pretty weak performance here; it felt somewhat artificial to me. I really feel for Val Kilmer, though—watching him sink into these totally minor roles is just sad. And I couldn't wrap my head around his reaction during that arrest at the end. When he suggests they just kill the guy and grab the drugs 😕😕! Like, what does he have to do with that stash? He wasn't even involved in those "operations" with the lieutenant.

Eva Mendes is way too stunning to be playing a streetwalker; she looks more like someone who'd marry a tech billionaire. This role just doesn't fit her at all. Plus, there were a few scenes that left me scratching my head—I honestly don't see the point of them. 🤷

On the bright side, the movie doesn't lean too heavily on the old version, which is a plus. But let's be real: the original was much better, which isn't exactly a shocker. My rating: 4/10.

We aren't talking about some new version or a remake here; this is straight-up a franchise sequel.

Honestly, it was a pleasant surprise. I love it when a director decides to "slap" the audience a couple of times, basically saying, "Oh, you thought you were in for an action flick or a gritty police thriller? Think again. Here’s my version of pure chaos." 😁

Bravo!

Just finished watching it.
I don't know... Nicolas Cage was never really my favorite actor to begin with, but in this one, he was just uniquely repulsive.
The plot... nothing groundbreaking there. A little bit of drugs, a cop who can't keep his eyes off himself, and doing whatever it takes to stay afloat. As for Val Kilmer... he barely shows up, and when he does... (who would've thought he was once considered the 'next big thing'?). And Eva Mendes... looks like she decided to go for these kinds of roles... what a waste.
All in all... I found myself skipping parts... it was too transparent and just plain tedious...
4.5/10

northernmoose26 said:The story kicks off with some real momentum, but honestly, it just kind of loses steam halfway through. The ending felt incredibly cheap—just this forced, happy little resolution where the girl ends up marrying a junkie with a wrecked back. Suddenly, all his massive problems just evaporate in five minutes flat. It’s ridiculous. I also thought Nicolas Cage gave a pretty weak performance here; it felt somewhat artificial to me. I really feel for Val Kilmer, though—watching him sink into these totally minor roles is just sad. And I couldn't wrap my head around his reaction during that arrest at the end. When he suggests they just kill the guy and grab the drugs 😕😕! Like, what does he have to do with that stash? He wasn't even involved in those "operations" with the lieutenant.

Eva Mendes is way too stunning to be playing a streetwalker; she looks more like someone who'd marry a tech billionaire. This role just doesn't fit her at all. Plus, there were a few scenes that left me scratching my head—I honestly don't see the point of them. 🤷

On the bright side, the movie doesn't lean too heavily on the old version, which is a plus. But let's be real: the original was much better, which isn't exactly a shocker. My rating: 4/10.

But isn't that exactly the point? On one hand, you have Nicolas Cage—a complete loose cannon who pulls off millions of risky stunts. Then you have Kilmer, who probably spends the entire movie sitting in some boring office, gathering his courage and overthinking his tactics, hoping Nicolas Cage will actually agree to go along with it and completely wreck his life... hahaha. To me, that scene was brilliant.

northernmoose26 said:The story kicks off with some real momentum, but honestly, it just kind of loses steam halfway through. The ending felt incredibly cheap—just this forced, happy little resolution where the girl ends up marrying a junkie with a wrecked back. Suddenly, all his massive problems just evaporate in five minutes flat. It’s ridiculous. I also thought Nicolas Cage gave a pretty weak performance here; it felt somewhat artificial to me. I really feel for Val Kilmer, though—watching him sink into these totally minor roles is just sad. And I couldn't wrap my head around his reaction during that arrest at the end. When he suggests they just kill the guy and grab the drugs 😕😕! Like, what does he have to do with that stash? He wasn't even involved in those "operations" with the lieutenant.

Eva Mendes is way too stunning to be playing a streetwalker; she looks more like someone who'd marry a tech billionaire. This role just doesn't fit her at all. Plus, there were a few scenes that left me scratching my head—I honestly don't see the point of them. 🤷

On the bright side, the movie doesn't lean too heavily on the old version, which is a plus. But let's be real: the original was much better, which isn't exactly a shocker. My rating: 4/10.

Not exactly. Take a look at Felon. The guy basically handed the entire movie over to the lead actor.

Which movie? I'm totally lost here.

What even is this thread? You guys seriously started this thing calling it Felon instead of the actual title?

It's a decent little flick, but honestly, nothing more. It feels like your run-of-the-mill American script where the writers are so obsessed with tying the beginning and end together perfectly that they completely lose track of the actual characters along the way.

Then again, considering that overactor Nicolas Cage looks like he just escaped from a wax museum, Eva Mendes is about as convincing as a cardboard cutout, and Val Kilmer’s role is just plain baffling—it actually turned out pretty great. There were moments where I genuinely thought they were rewriting the script on the fly—like that part where Cage transitions from his old lady to the new woman; I was sure they were going to pull a crazy twist there, but they ended up playing it safe instead.

Personally, I thought the scenes with the reptiles were totally fine. 😁

Sandra Ross82 said:It's a decent little flick, but honestly, nothing more. It feels like your run-of-the-mill American script where the writers are so obsessed with tying the beginning and end together perfectly that they completely lose track of the actual characters along the way.

Then again, considering that overactor Nicolas Cage looks like he just escaped from a wax museum, Eva Mendes is about as convincing as a cardboard cutout, and Val Kilmer’s role is just plain baffling—it actually turned out pretty great. There were moments where I genuinely thought they were rewriting the script on the fly—like that part where Cage transitions from his old lady to the new woman; I was sure they were going to pull a crazy twist there, but they ended up playing it safe instead.

Personally, I thought the scenes with the reptiles were totally fine. 😁

I honestly thought I was awake until just a second ago.

driftingeagle27 said:I honestly thought I was awake until just a second ago.

Huh?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1095217/

To make a long story short, I actually sat down and watched this a few days ago. Honestly, I was pretty impressed; the dark humor is spot on, and the movie manages to dodge almost every tired cliché you'd expect to see. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a performance from Nicolas Cage that actually hit the mark for me.

So, what do you film buffs think about this one?

For me, it’s 👍

I actually quite enjoyed this movie... nothing groundbreaking, but pretty satisfying and easy to watch.

To be honest, I’m not usually a fan of Nicolas Cage, but he actually surprised me here. I guess these "lowlife" roles just suit him better.

edit-that scene with the lizards was great 🙂)

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is easily one of the top five films I’ve seen over the last year or two—hands down.
It’s honestly a crying shame that nobody picked this up for a proper theatrical release or even put it out on home video.

Nicolas Cage is a total genius when he gets handed roles that actually fit his vibe—this one being a perfect example.

My apologies to the mod, I just couldn't seem to track down the thread 😉

Anyway, minor SPOILER (not really) regarding the lizards and that "His soul is still dancing" scene 👍

That final scene where he sits down at the table and that guy—the one who was beating up Mendes—just shows up to tell him there are no hard feelings? Then that dude mentions they beat Indianapolis by three points, and then his boss rolls in saying they’ve got DNA... wait, is he dreaming? That whole sequence feels totally surreal.

Just finished watching. Absolute powerhouse of a film. I see
Nicolas Cage actually picked up an award for this performance.