[Bigfish]

The Bad Lieutenant stars Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes.  I rented this one from BB today and all I can write is that I wish I had left it on the store shelf.  The movie is worthless!  1 star out of 5.

Ken

[jermmd]

I rented this but haven't watched it yet. I hate to waste 2 hours of my life so I'll wait and see what others have to say.

[jimdgoulding]

If you've seen the original, maybe even if you haven't, this is lame.  At least in Harvey Keitel's performance, and Abel Ferrara's able direction, you had a tortured human.  This is just pure caricature.

[Mike Nomad]

I just saw there was a DVD re-issue of the original movie. AFAIK, this new re-issue is still missing the Schooly D track, just like every other release since the original Laser Disc.

[jimdgoulding]

I just saw there was a DVD re-issue of the original movie. AFAIK, this new re-issue is still missing the Schooly D track, just like every other release since the original Laser Disc.

Enlighten me, Mike.  Is that a scene?  The original features Johnny Ace's Pledging My Love from the 50's in the score.  There were no dummies associated with the original.  Abel Ferrara is a sly cat.  Beneath his blasphemy on film, I think there is a serious soul there.  Which makes the remake under discussion all the more insulting.

[Mike Nomad]

In the original release of the movie, the song that Abel used at different times in the movie was "Signifying Rapper" by Schooly D. The track is used in its entirety for the end credits.

Schooly D went into the vaults and pulled samples from the studio masters for Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir." Schooly's song had been out for years, when it got picked up for use in the Bad Lieutenant. Page threatened to sue, so, a switch was made.

The switch was done back in the Laser Disc era, with no change in the UPC code. So, the quickest way to tell was go straight to the end credits: An original copy has the end credits as white titling on a black background. The revised releases have black titling on a white background.

When the movie showed up on DVD, the Schooly D track was still missing, and the black-on-white credits were still present.

[jimdgoulding]

I seriously thank you for that.

[Mike Nomad]

Glad to help. The track can be... tough to locate. I probably have an mp3 somewhere...

[WGH]

Using the original movie as a very rough template, unorthodox director Werner Herzog made a very black comedy with an over the top performance by Nicolas Cage. An excellent moody soundtrack by Mark Isham sets the tone for the suspense filled moral descent of Cage's character. The gator cam and iguanas adds another surreal layer to an already twisted film.

[jimdgoulding]

Using the original movie as a very rough template, unorthodox director Werner Herzog made a very black comedy with an over the top performance by Nicolas Cage. An excellent moody soundtrack by Mark Isham sets the tone for the suspense filled moral descent of Cage's character. The gator cam and iguanas adds another surreal layer to an already twisted film.

Good for you for finding and communicating some redeeming value to the flick.  Werner Herzog has seen better.  And, frankly, there is no moral descent in either flick.  They are long gone.  But, in the former, the character has regrets that consume him. 

'Rough template', I like that.  In fact, your whole reply is admirable to me and much better than the movie.. 

[jimdgoulding]

Use of Wayne's reference of black comedy, I got one for you.  You Kill Me with Ben Kingsley.  The whole cast is good but Bill Pullman's part, the king of nob hill, and the way he plays it is noteworthy hilarious.

[drwho]

The Bad Lieutenant stars Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes.  I rented this one from BB today and all I can write is that I wish I had left it on the store shelf.  The movie is worthless!  1 star out of 5.

Ken

My thoughts exactly, totally agree with you.

[Mike B.]

A real waste of time IMO. Poor plot transition. Acting was uneven. Will Nick Cage ever make another decent film?

[JoshK]

I watched this last night after a few beers, so I was in an easy going mood.  I don't have as harsh of criticism to this movie.   It was definitely not great.  The plot was pretty weak.  The gator/iguana cams were just weird and out of place.

However, I still managed to find some humour/entertainment in the movie.  I am a sucker for Eva Mendez.