Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)



"Sometimes I have bad days."

- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans


When I first read about this movie from my tweep's, @ReelTalker, blog post it sounded really interesting. So, I decided to go ahead and check it out.

This was a really interesting but weird film for me at the same time. It started out very "eerie" and then progressed into more of a detective story. Yet, it wasn't an ordinary detective story only about a case. It was a detective story about the detective himself - the "Bad Lieutenant" (played by Nicholas Cage).

Basically, the movie has two stories - the story about the case and the story about the life of the detective (aka the "Bad Lieutenant").

As the film progresses, it shows the dark side of the detective and his ways of coping with his vices and addictions. And, these addictions turn out to be highly addictive in nature. (If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about).

There are some scenes in the movie that really had shock value - it's like something that just came out of nowhere. As I watched, I was in awe at some of the actions that the detective took. At one point in the film, it got to be really out of hand - almost to the point where the "Bad Lieutenant" becomes psychotic. (I don't want to ruin it for you, but let's just say there's a lot of "madness" that goes on in this film).

To be honest, this movie really felt like a novel. Basically, it portrayed the life of a detective and his ways of coping with his many vices in life. At one point in the film, it almost made me believe that his vices would destroy him. Though, there was a small twist and change in events at the end, which really did surprise me.

Personally, I really wanted to like this film - I think it had a good story. Though, I just feel it wasn't executed very well.

Instead of a movie, this film really felt like a novel - it just kept going on and on portraying each event as a scene. At one point, I wasn't really sure how they would end it - it just felt like it would keep going on. It lacked focus.

As for the ending, it was more "open ended" - I didn't feel like I got a sense of closure. I felt the story had potential. Though, I feel it just wasn't very well executed and put together. It's like they just kind of threw a bunch of bits and pieces together which really didn't bring things together at the end. It just didn't have that punch.

Overall, I think this film had an interesting story to tell. Though, it just didn't do it for me in the execution. If you've been contemplating seeing this movie, I'd say it's best to pass on it.

Film Gurl's 15 Minute Rule: FAIL

(Note: For all the fans of the film, these are just my thoughts - it just didn't do it for me).

Happy movie watching!

p.s. Feel free to leave comments on any post either here and/or my Facebook Page. Comments are always welcome, thanks for reading!



Video Link

4 comments:

Alex C. said...

I just watched this movie last night and even though I viewed it from my Sleep Number bed, it was one of the most uncomfortable viewing experiences I've had.

Candice Frederick said...

yeah i can't quite put my finger on this film. i hated the ending and the buildup wasn't MUCH better. but it was entertaining though. i thought it was slightly overrated. i was left kinda scratching my head. but i liked the grittiness and the fact that it was entertaining.

ProMovieBlogger said...

I did not like the film but I liked Nicolas Cage's performance.

@Candice The ending was weak.

Another Bad Lieutenant Review:
http://film-book.com/film-review-bad-lieutenant-port-call-orleans/

Film Gurl said...

(Alex) I definitely agree. There were some scenes that had a lot of shock value, thanks for sharing!

(Candice) It was really a weird movie for me - it definitely had its ups and downs. While watching it, I really felt like it progressed as a novel. I really wanted to like it. I felt the story had potential but just wasn't well executed. Glad it entertained you, thanks for sharing your thoughts!

(ProMovieBlogger) I do admit, his character was pretty interesting - almost to the point of being psychotic. I think it just goes to show the power of addiction over an individual. Thanks for sharing the review, will check it out!

Thanks everyone for stopping by!