Werner Herzog is madder than a box of frogs.
That is something we can all agree on.
He is also a director who has made several films that can be classed as genius.
It's a thin line.
Here he turns his eye (or an iguanas eye) onto Abel Ferraras "Bad Lieutenant"...a disturbing and nasty film about a corrupt police officer.
Herzog creates a film that is entirely his own.
This is not a remake but a reimagining.
With alligators, iguanas and dogs it is also undeniably a Herzog film and not a Ferrara film.
The story is simple; a police officer saves the life of a prisoner left locked in police cells as the flood waters of Katrina rise around him, Nicholas Cage dives into the water to save him and ends up with back pain that leaves him reliant on pain medication for the rest of his life. That back pain sees him turn to cocaine, ketamine and who knows what else and he begins his descent into a life of madness and chaos. Eventually he finds redemption, of sorts, and a happy ending is delivered.
Cage is fabulous as the deranged police officer, it's the sort of role that only he can pull off. Hot on the heels of his Adam West impersonation in "Kick Ass" he is enjoying a renaissance and I hope it continues because he is a performer that I have always enjoyed.
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