Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - S09 E70 - Shoot The Hostage

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello and welcome to Shoot a Hostage with me, Dan, and my partner, Sarah. We're a movie podcast who talks about a different film each week based on a theme. We do swear and we do spoil the featured movie. So, only ever listen if you've seen the film or you don't care too much about spoilers. If you're a regular listener, you can just skip forward until you hear the intro music cuz you've heard all of this before. But if you are new to the show and you do enjoy what you hear, there are a couple of things you can do to help support the show. Firstly, make sure that you're subscribed on a podcast player so you get notified when new shows drop on Mondays. Uh you could rate us five stars on Spotify, which couldn't be easier. You just hit the star icon below the show's artwork. Or if you have a spare few minutes, we'd love it if you could submit a review wherever you listen. Uh make sure you come follow us at ST_POD on social media. We are active on Instagram, Threads, and Tik Tok. And lastly, the biggest thing you can do to help is tell a friend about the show. So that's about it. That's enough preamble from me. Uh over to me and Sarah for this week's episode. I would like to remake the Bad Lieutenant movie, but I would like it to be with Nicholas Cage.

(00:01):
That's not bad. It's not terrible.
I would like him to play a detective that he's addicted to pain medication.
Oh yeah, you're getting better.
I would like to set it in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and vaguely maybe has something to do with the housing crisis of 2008.
You went a bit scouse at the end there.
Do I? Did I?
Or maybe Welsh 2008.
I think I will spend this entire
No. God, no.
As Vera Herzog,
please don't do that. Please.
I would like I would like to have many reptiles in this movie.
What? I don't know.
Can we Can we have Dan back in the room, please?
I'm back. Okay.
After being briefly possessed, Yeah, by Verzog Verzog inside me for gosh, too long. Longer than he's ever been inside me.
Um, yeah, Bad Lieutenant. We We're sitting now firmly in our Nicholas Cage season.
Uh, we're on episode six of eight now after having covered The Wicker Man last week. You're welcome, by the way.
That was way more fun than it should have been.
The movie was fun and we had a fun time recording.
Yeah,

(00:22):
we watched the Bad Lieutenant a couple of uh short nights ago and it was a first time watch for you, wasn't it? This full full title, the bad lieutenant, Port of Call, New Orleans.
Too long.
That was my first note. Title's way too long.
I know. And it's always annoying when you've got to write them in the the episode names as well.
I won't be doing that.
Well, I've got to do it for the when I write post the podcast.
Um I know why the title is as long as it is.
Oh, go on.
So, So, I know you sort of said as as Vera Herzog, you said that um you wanted to remake Badly Tenant.
Yes.
But that's not true.
Okay.
Verog never wanted to remake Badly Tenant.
No, I didn't.
He claims he's never even seen the original and well, he claimed he hadn't. I don't know whether he's rectified that, but basically he wanted to do something along the lines of sort of what we get produc stepped in, said, "How about we call this Bad Lieutenant
and like sell it as a remake?" Verzog was like, "No, I don't want to do that. I've never seen it." And the producers were like, "Oh, go on though. We're putting up a lot of money for this." And Vener Herzog was like, "But I want to call it Port of Call New Orleans."
And the producers were like, "No, no, no. We we we have to call it Bad Lieutely Tenant." So Vena Herzog was like, "f*** it both." So it was a it was a money decision, isn't it always?
Yeah. I Well, we did say that we're going to try and watch the the able
Abel Ferrer
Abel Ferrer Ferrer Ferrara I'm never sure
um

(00:43):
not Ferrari
not not Ferrero I'll show you
no
no I we we were going to try and watch it but we didn't get time so but it's not this is not a remake of that so it's I'm kind of glad that we didn't to be honest because this is not a remake of that if they just decided to just clip that title one after it had been written and and released before before it's been released and it's not a remake. It's they just wanted to slap that title on it to make money. So, f*** you studio.
If I mean it does have similarities.
Yeah, there's a bad lieutenant. There's a policeman that's not very good.
Yeah, in a very literal sense there is a bad lieutenant.
Those are big drugs on everyone.
Tonally, the films could not be more different. Um, the Harvey Kitel one is really f****** dark, really bleak. Um,
whereas this is laugh a minute.
Well, it kind of It is.
It's pretty hilarious.
It kind of is.
I don't know what it is about this season and you making me watch Nicholas Cage films that may or may not be intentionally funny.
We've had that a few times now.
I I have seen in a number of places this is this is actually referred to as a comedy. I believe that was all very much intentional. Unlike the Wicker Man where it's still undetermined.
They say that it was intentional but the jury's out.
But yeah, my bull s*** ometer is um is going off.
I think um you're right like we watched it on Prime I think and on there it says drama comedy.
Yeah. Or comedy thriller or something and Nicholas Cage is not adverse to a comedy. Some of his you know Vampires Kiss was one that we spoke about which is clearly a comedy. Clearly
but I didn't know that going in. So I had a similar experience with this.

(01:04):
Yeah. Me neither. But and also uh Van Herzog has got a very strange sense of humor.
No s***.
And um it's clear I think anything that's funny in this I think is clearly intentional. I don't I think it's like last week it was hard when we watching Wikman were like was that meant to be funny or not? And we sort of had a whole discussion about it. I think the parts in this where I laughed I didn't have that question mark in my head. It was just like yeah that's that's that's Shay Wigum. He's being hilarious in this scene and it's completely intentional.
Yeah. I it sort of feels like This is the comedy that Verer Herzog wanted to see.
And it kind of feels like he's the only only one that's 100% in on the joke.
Yeah.
Him and Nick Cage.
And the rest of us are just kind of befuddled and laughing in confusion.
Apart from Shane Wigum, who got the memo?
Oh, yeah. Well, he he definitely went to the same school of acting as Nick, Cage.
Yeah, he was he was great in this. He's not in it. He was only in it for a couple of scenes, but he properly matched.
He was very memorable.
Cage's energy. And I just thought, yeah, you know what movie you're in. I thought it was great.
It's funny actually because I think while we were watching this, something that occurred to me is that I feel like Nicholas Cage films fall in one of two categories. I feel like there are those films where he sets the tone and everybody else follows suit or films where he tries to set the tone and nobody else quite is able to is able to match him. or wants to.
Yeah.
And it leads to to quite a confusing performance, which I guess may be partly to do with why he was um referred to derog in a derogatory way for a while.
Yeah. I mean, the whole main thing on the internet.
Yeah. Cuz he always brings 100% cage and not everybody else is necessarily up to the task or wants to be.
Yeah.
But I feel like this kind of sits in that latter category where Nicholas Cage kind of tries to set the tone, but not everybody got the memo. I think Shay Wigan was one of the few. I will say that.
Yeah.

(01:25):
Uh Val Kilmer was in this, but that could have been anyone.
It was a random Val Kilmer uh appearance, wasn't it? Like I wasn't It I have seen this movie before, probably not long after it came out, so like a while ago now, and I remembered almost nothing. Some of the reptile stuff I remember, but Yeah, Val Kilmer was in it just and was really excited to see him. I think this is the first Val Kilmer movie that we're covering on the on the pod.
Yeah, it might be.
Um, will not be our last under Dr. Maro.
Oh, one day.
I'm going to make you do Willow one of these days.
You are great.
Yeah, f******
childhood crush on Val Kilmer.
Was great. Really?
Yeah. In Willow.
Okay. His name is um
It's like Mad Mardigan.
That's it. Yeah. Martigan or something like that.
I was going to say Bag Pipes, but that would have been way off.
Yeah. So, but but unexpected Valkyrie in this movie. We we've already mentioned Shay Wigum. Um you've got
Jennifer Culage.
Jennifer Culage, which was super random.
Yeah. Super random.
Eva Menddees.
Yep.

(01:46):
Um Denzel Whitaker,
who is
uh the grandson of the lady in the nursing home.
Okay. I didn't recognize him.
He's been in a bunch of stuff. He's got one of those faces. I think he he was also in Training Day with Eva Menddees, which I know you're a big fan of.
Was Eva Menddees in Training Day?
Guys, it's been it's been a while since I've seen it. Okay. Yeah,
the internet told me she was.
Well, you're right there.
I'm not as well versed in that film as you are. So, she was also in Ghost Rider with Cage.
This is not even the first time or I guess it was. When When did Ghost Rider come out?
200 n I think it was the same year as this.
Really? I think So,
so they spent a lot of time together in 2009.
Yeah, I guess they did. Yeah.
How random.
Who else? We got the We've got the kid from the faculty.
Oh, Sean Hatosi. Yeah.
Yeah. He's in a couple of scenes
who again could have been anyone.
Yeah.

(02:07):
Um Brad Durif.
Brad Dur, of course. Yeah.
Not in it enough.
As a bookie as a
as a weird bookie. Yeah.
Bookie.
Fizer Balk in
a total of two scenes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Um some alligators. Exhibit X. Gone. Give it to you.
Now you're thinking of DMX.
Oh, really?
Yeah. Right.
Why did I think that was exhibit?
Going to give it to you.
What does he do then?
He his one goes D X.
I don't know if I know that.
I think I don't know.
Not based on that anyway. Am I right in thinking he presents Pimp My Ride on MTV?

(02:28):
Sure.
Or is that also Next.
I' I've never seen pimp my right. I couldn't tell you.
Okay. I've I sound more white than ever right now, don't I?
If if you we if we ever thought that was possible. Yeah.
I can always sound wiser.
Can you?
I'm such a f****** nerd. Um Yeah. So, kind of a stacked cast and Seanosi.
Yeah. Really stacked cast and and and it's like uh I don't know. It's a lot of people that maybe are not like your A-listers. They're not that these people never apart from you know cage aside they're never number one on the call sheet there there's a lot of character actors
but there's a lot of talent and there's a lot of decent actors in there like Brad Dorf is probably the best example of that like always popping up in in movies um he was that doll in in those 12 movies where he played the killer doll and um he was the he was the killer in Exorcist 3 wasn't he maybe spoilers sorry for that
he was in Exorus 3
as An innocent man.
Come on. That movie's been out f****** ages. Like, if you haven't seen it, that's on you. I'm not going to feel bad about it.
It's an excellent movie.
Yeah, it's very good, actually. Unexpectedly good.
Yeah.
Um, but yeah, just a bunch of like unex people I didn't expect to see. Koolage was I mean, I love seeing Kage stuff. I wish she was more Coolage in this.
Yeah, she was definitely sort of simmering at like about a 9% coolage.
Yeah, but I think Koolage is is potentially a good casting in this. If we' have seen more of her, it could have been more interesting.
Yeah.
But like the way that she delivers things just she's just an odd person, isn't she? It's like quite dry the way she delivers, but absurd the way the things that she's saying

(02:49):
and very self-aware.
Yeah. So, like it could have fit really well in this, but her character ended up being just quite um
subdued.
Yeah. Yeah.
She was good though.
Yeah.
Um everyone was kind of good. It was just I think what was weird to me was seeing people people like Fuzza Balk and Brad Durif who yeah they're not big names but they're big names considering the number of scenes that they had.
Um which I guess maybe speaks to to Verer Herzog's reputation, the fact that they just maybe wanted to work with him.
Yeah, I I imagine that's probably the case. There's probably a little bit of Colum Cage, a little bit of Colum Herzog, I would say, for the for the people that wanted to be in this. Um I know that Herzog. It's funny because um I read a an article the other day about this movie. I just skimmed it. I didn't go into detail, but the gist of it was that Herzog was on Cage's radar for a long time and Cage was on Herszog's radar for a long time. And then they sort of this project came aboard and they sort of said, "Oh, I guess we're going to work together then." And Cage was like, "Well, I'm not going to sign my contract unless you're doing it doing it." And and Herold said, "Well, I'm not going sign my contract unless you Nicholas are doing the movie.
Well, they're both big fans of Noseratu,
right? And obviously Herzog made that Noseratu movie in 1979.
He did.
Shadow of the Vampire.
No,
no,
no.
Oh, okay. A big part.
It was just a noseratu remake.
Oh, was am I thinking of the 2001 or 2000 William Defo thing?
There was the Shadow of the Vampire. Yeah. Um, which incidentally Nicholas Cage's production company was behind.
Oh, okay.

(03:10):
So, there are multiple connections there.
Yeah.
So, I wonder how much of their downtime was uh dominated by talking about Noseratu.
Probably quite a lot. Quite a lot of horror discussions.
I would love to have been a fly on the wall.
Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
But yeah, from from what I've heard and from what I've read, Nicholas Cage definitely sort of really wanted to work with Herzog. Really respected the way that he works. Um because apparently he's really well known for not wasting time effectively just kind of shooting exactly what he wants in the film and not doing a bunch of B-roll and backup stuff like a lot of directors do.
He knows what he wants and that's what he shoots
and Nicholas Cage is just like f*** yeah. So, I think they were definitely on the same page creatively as well.
I get the impression as well. I don't imagine Herzog would have been giving Cage a lot of notes.
They probably was like, "Look, I'm just going to follow you around. You do what you're going to do."
Well, yeah. The the screenwriter was mortified because Nicholas Cage started doing a lot of adlibbing.
Yeah.
So he I think his I think that bruised the screenwriters ego a little bit perhaps like my words. I don't know.
I've heard that's a problem with screen times. That's why they're not allowed on set.
I I can imagine. I can imagine.
But Verzog was just all about the adlibs. He was like giddy apparently. And then when the screenwriter saw what Nicholas Cage was doing, he was like, "Yeah, all right. Okay,
I'll allow it.
It's uh I haven't seen a lot of Herzog's work, you know. I I I I may have seen and probably we discussed this I think maybe in in our review of the new Noseratu movie over on our Patreon.
I may have seen the Verz of uh Noseratu even though I got the title wrong earlier, but I may have seen the other one. I'm not sure. I've seen one of them a bit. There's a train in it and so it's got long fingers. That's all I can tell you. But I haven't seen a lot of his output. I may have seen that and we watched relatively recently the Grizzly Man documentary. He's done a few documentaries, hasn't he?
He has. Yeah. Grizzly Man was one that had been on my radar for a long time cuz I think it won awards when it came out. It was really whenever you sort of see like top 10 documentaries of all time, it always like makes everybody's list of calls.

(03:31):
Yeah. It's like that and Free Solo.
Yeah.
Which is also excellent.
So It had been on my radar for a while and it was really good. Um,
yeah,
I think partly because Herzog has has an eye for a good story and partly because Timothy Treadwell was insane and made for a really interesting subject.
Yeah, it was fascinating. It was just a fascinating human study.
Yeah.
And I and do need to
say he was really laid bare.
I'm so sorry. That's that's that's very good. Um, yeah. I Yeah, I need to see more of his documentary stuff. Actually, I need to just consume way more of his herold stuff in general. I know he's he's a bigger big old writer of words on book.
I think he's kind of considered a bit of an alter.
Bit Yeah, exactly.
I feel like I do have a bit of a Herzog hole that needs to be filled.
I hope he doesn't listen to this.
Me, too.
I will fill your hole. Uh yeah. And you look through his filmography though and it's random because for like for every Grizzly Man or noseratu you have occasionally they'll pop in a Jack Reacher.
Yeah.
It's like what what Tom the Tom Cruz one is it's it's unusual. You don't expect that. And I remember watching that and thinking yeah it was all right. Well I didn't mind it. The sequel was pretty terrible but it was okay. But was it a a Vera Herzog movie? Like why did he do that? Did he just want the money?
Yeah. Like everybody needs a paycheck now and again.
Yeah. Like no shade to the guy. That's not what I'm saying. I just for someone who seems like he's he's all about the art, whether that's this movie or or a documentary like we said or or writing words on book like he's all about the the art. So to go from like that stuff to a Jack Reacher, it just I'm just scratching my head a little bit. Like no criticism. If you want a paycheck, you have the paycheck. But I just wonder if it was the paycheck or whether there was something else that he was he found interesting in that story. Maybe he's a huge fan of the books or something. Um I don't know. Maybe he's a huge fan of Tom Cruz.

(03:52):
Maybe he wanted the scoop on Scientology.
Ah, that's probably it, isn't it?
I It's funny because I don't know a huge amount about the man, but what I do know, he sort of seems quite a curious person and maybe like a collector of experiences. So, it wouldn't surprise me if he just wanted to do as many different types things as possible.
Yeah, that's fair. That's a good observation. You're probably on to something with that. I think it's probably a mixture of wanting to do something different. Yes, I will do a studio action movie.
Um, and also plus I will get to find out about Elron Hubbard.
Uh, and this billionyear contract.
Yeah, there's probably a little bit of that as well.
And then he does weird things like popping up in the Mandalorian or voicing a tiny alien in Freaks of Nature, that movie that nobody else seems to have seen,
including me.
Oh, no. We watched it.
Oh, did we? And so, if you've seen it, you've forgotten it. What was that? What movie was that then?
Um, it was the film where the it was like set in a universe where vampires and zombies and werewolves are just an accepted fact.
Okay.
Um,
and he voiced a baby in it.
No, a tiny alien.
Sorry, a tiny
What? You'd think I'd remember this.
You would think you would. remember it. It was pretty memorable
with Vera Herzog voicing an alien.
Yeah.

(04:13):
With werewolves and zombies and vampires.
Mhm.
And it's not
And Mackenzie Davis.
And Mackenzie Davis. Right. Yeah. It's no wonder you've seen it. I
And And cousin Greg was in it. He was the main character. You're literally scratching your face right now.
I don't I don't know what this is. I don't remember this at all.
Definitely watched it.
It's really bothering me because sometimes you'll say a film and you'll describe it be like, "Yeah, I can understand why I forgot that."
But the description you've given me like that that should not leave my brain at all.
It's a weird movie and it really flew under the radar for a lot of people.
Yeah. Yeah. But you're right. He does he does his acting as well and
just really random stuff.
Yeah. I would like to see the baby.
Yeah. And he was so memorable in that that that became a meme.
Yeah.
But then I think like The average person doesn't necessarily know who the f*** Vera Herzog is, despite how prolific he's been.
I don't know.
He's not a household name. Come on.
I don't know. But I feel like But is he not the sort of person if maybe you really like all you do is read books and you don't watch movies. You don't really listen to music. So you've probably read maybe you read some of his books or maybe you only watch documentaries and you don't read books and you don't watch feature movies and you've probably seen some of his documentaries. And the same with the movies. I don't know does he play a bassoon or anything? Has he released an album that Maybe people that like music can can enjoy his
God, I would love that.

(04:34):
His sounds.
Do you know what he should do? Audio books.
A bet he's done some audio books.
I bet he's Yeah, I bet he's at least um voiced his own books.
Yeah.
Right. Get on Audible.
Yeah.
I did um listen to his interview with Adam Buckton, which I think came out uh in the early stages of 2024, which was very interesting.
Okay. huge recommend. Uh even if you don't know the guy, if you're listening to this, you probably know who Ver Herzog is. Um but if you haven't listened to that, huge recommend. There's some some good chat there. Um and I think um what's that Mark Kamode book I I read recently. It's an old book. I can't remember what it which one it was. It's the one that you you bought me,
but there's a whole section in in that when um Komode is talking about going onto one of his sets and herself gets shot by a BB gun. You heard you must have heard this story. the anecdote. Yeah.
Yeah.
It's actually interesting because I I was looking for scenes from the original Badly Tenant to jog my memory because it's been such a long time since I'd seen it and I stumbled upon Mark Kamo reviewing this one and he talked about that anecdote.
Yeah. Oh, we should have watched that. I should have watched that actually. Yeah. Interesting. Yeah. He talks all about that in that book that I can't remember what it was called.
Very very interesting. Just like got shot by a BB uh pellet and Mark was like uh are you okay? Like you you're bleeding. You seem to have been shot. And he's like, "Yes, I will be fine. We just need to finish the movie. I do not need to go to hospital." And everyone was like, "All right, well, he says he doesn't want to go. He doesn't want to go, but should we force him? Like, what what's going on?" Yeah. Bizarre. Just an unusual man unlike anyone else.
And I think that shines through in this film. I think this is such an odd film. I I can't explain because as I said earlier, I I did not go into this expecting any sort of comedy. I don't I don't really know what I expected. I think because the original is so dark and gritty and like so New York, much like everything that Abel Ferrara directs, everything is set in New York.
Okay.
Um and it has that sort of grimy grittiness
and I I think I was expecting maybe something similar in time. And honestly, until you put this film on, I didn't even know Veraka direct it directed it. That was complete news to me. It seemed like I don't know. It seemed like such an outlier based on what I know about him.
But again, I I think the humor in it and the just the weirdness like the Iguanas, which is going to come up again and again, I'm sure it seems almost like distilled Verzark.
Yeah.
Like only he could have made it.

(04:55):
I think the the thing that I've been thinking about the most over the the last couple of days is why were there so many reptiles in it because you've got the
Well, it's it opens on a snake through the water.
A swimming snake.
Mhm.
I didn't know that snakes could swim.
Now you do.
Now I do. That's terrifying.
Um yeah, it opens with the snake. You have the iguanas, which you mentioned. You have uh alligators or crocodiles. I can't I don't know what what the difference is. Um And there's that that club that that Nick Cage frequents where he steals his drugs from his
I don't we'll get to that scene.
That's called Gators Retreat.
Yeah.
So there's a whole thing there. Like what does that mean?
Well, Gator's Retreat doesn't surprise me because New Orleans.
Um so apparently I I read in two different places the reasoning for the setting. I initially read that Verzog wanted to set it in New Orleans to completely sort of distance it from its namesake because that is such a New York film. And I read in a different place that Nicholas Cade requested the um location change because obviously Hurricane Katrina hadn't long happened and he wanted to sort of go there and do something good for New Orleans.
Yeah,
I guess by making the film there, they were sort of pumping money into the local economy.
Yeah, I guess so. Maybe creating a few jobs along the way as well, albeit temporary. In that article that I sort of skim read as well, I think I read that they wanted to do it there for tax incentives.
Oh, right. Who knows?
There's so many stories floating around.
It's probably a mixture of all of them.
Yeah.

(05:16):
Like, oh, you want to do it in New Orleans? What? We can get We can get money back from the government. Yeah, we'll do that then. But it's for the artistic reasons.
Yeah.
And the altruistic ones.
Yes. Yes. Yeah. Patting ourselves on the back studio.
Yeah.
Yeah. I I do think it's an interesting setting. know like when when it the film starts like you say you got the snake swimming through the water and it says you know just after hurricane Katrina it is it's a very much a puts you in the kind of the the context of of the film immediately like it's just after this devastation how are people feeling what's going on in this in this place uh what are people taking advantage of this situation there people that that need help that aren't getting it. So, they turn into other things like perhaps crime and things like that to try and get through. It definitely um is a bit of a shorthand to to clue you into the sort of environment that we're in.
Yeah, the unrest.
Yeah, I thought that was an interesting setting and um so and it would have been just before the the housing collapse as well. So, it is in definitely in a really interesting socioeconomic climate there.
Um
strange time.
Yeah.
Have you seen many other films set in New Orleans. It's such a distinct place on film.
I have seen
Hard Target, obviously.
Oh, yeah. That was probably the only one that I've seen.
I don't Why is that the first one that comes to mind?
Eve's Bayou. We watched that, didn't we?
Was that New Orleans?
Sure. I think my gut's saying that it's New Orleans.
Yeah. I think maybe Skeleton Key was New Orleans. Mississippi Grind.
Hatchet.

(05:37):
Hatchet.
I love the Hatchet movies.
I don't think I've seen them.
Yeah, you've seen a couple.
I know. I'm joking. I remember those.
Adam Green a good dude.
Thomas Middleitch is in one, isn't he?
No.
Oh, all right. I don't remember then, obviously.
Yeah. I don't remember. I can't think of any others though that are set in London, isn't it?
I think a Candyman sequel, maybe.
Yeah. Okay. Okay. I mean, it's a it's a very rich en Oh, what's that? Um, what's that? The the Is it the the is it called the church or something? Or the
Oh, the Michaela Suavei the the Italian horror. Oh, no. You're thinking of the beyond. The FYI movie. The Beyond. That's the name I was trying to trying to um to get. Yes, I remember the I'm getting it mixed up.
That's the Michael Suabi one.
Yeah, that's right. But yeah, the the the Fulty one. That's a Nor job, isn't it?
It is. Yeah, I remember that quite clearly. So, but it is such a distinct place and it seems, like you say, really rich in culture and history and
I've always wanted to go.
We'll go. We should go one day.
Yeah, I'm desperate to. I don't think my hair will cope very well with the swampy air.
Okay.
Humidity.

(05:58):
We'll get a little a little hat or something.
It's fine. Yeah. Or I'll shave my head.
Yeah, it's easier. Um but yeah, I'd love to go. I It doesn't necessarily always film Ros um New Orleans at its best in this movie. movie.
No,
I think this is maybe a seedier side of it than we've previously seen.
But I mean that's the kind of the whole thing though, isn't it? Because we're we're following Nicholas Cage's character throughout the whole thing and he's not exactly an altruistic guy.
Not exactly. No, I find that really interesting actually because obviously in the original Harvey Kitel was just a s*******, right?
Just a really bad guy. Um and I I enjoy that movie because it's so crazy. and frenetic and it's a hell of a powerhouse performance by Kaitel and I enjoy films that are kind of almost like a descent into madness.
Yeah,
I really enjoy that. Whereas this is a bit of a different beast in that I don't know. It's it's strange because at the beginning the the synopsis that I read before we watched this kind of described him as quite a a standup guy and like he was doing this heroic thing on the job that got him injured. But he was a real bad dude already. Like him and Val Kilmer were sort of taking bets on things and saying, "Oh, I'll leave that guy that's drowning in the cells, whatever."
And he sort of jumped in to save him as a bit of a gh, guess I better do this then.
Like he didn't seem like a good cop to start with.
I mean, that is definitely the interesting part, one of the many interesting parts of this movie. I quite like this film. Spoilers. I thought it was I thought it was quite good actually and probably liked it more than I thought. my memory of it.
A lot of people love it.
It's is I think it's a very very good movie.
It's pretty well reviewed.
Perhaps a little bit underrated, I might say.
Um but when when the film starts, you're quite right. It opens in a in a um in a holding cell in a police station with Valkilmer Nicholas Cage making jokes like you say about when the water's going to get high enough for the prisoner to die. They're making jokes. It's a bit of banter, whatever, and then he jumps in to save the prisoner. I didn't necessar like when it first started, I thought, "Ah, he's a piece of s***." But then when he jumped in the water, I didn't necessarily feel like it was
um like, "Oh, begrudgingly I'm going to do this." I kind of felt like he was always going to do that, but also you do have a bit of a laugh with your mates at work sort of thing. So, I don't know.
The the laugh that I have with my mates at work isn't in front of people that I'm leading to believe are going to drown to death.
But but you're not a policeman.

(06:19):
No.
If you're a policeman Yeah. No, but like I All I'm saying is that the impression I got is that I thought he it was never a question in his mind whether or not he was going to save him. He always was. He was maybe uh trying to save a bit of face. Like it's obvious that the the Valkilma character is very crooked as well throughout the movie. Like we don't see too much of him, but what we do see
Yeah. He's clearly, you know, willing to go too far.
Mhm.
Um to do certain things. But I I always felt that the Cage character really wanted to be good. And I thought it was really Interesting that after he dives into the water to save the prisoner and then we do a time jump and it's uh he's he's kind of getting hooked onto the pain medication.
Mhm.
And it's his slow not just slow descent into madness but like the desperation to try and manage that pain.
Mh.
Because the either the the prescription stuff is not doing it for him or maybe he can't get his prescription, he can't sleep, you know. I felt like it was a I don't know if I would say like a real istic take, but it's like a very real problem with addiction to prescription medication and and often because of injury where you were just trying to manage pain. I felt like he was more like quite a real character actually for for all. That being said, it's a
beginning perhaps
it's a Nicholas Cage performance and he goes insane.
Yeah.
And it's great.
I think I don't know maybe maybe because I'd seen the original before I saw this I think perhaps I was just reading it with a more cynical slant. I think to me it sort of felt like a more reluctant act of heroism, but I guess that's because I was because I had Harvey Kitel's performance in mind perhaps.
Um, but but you're right, it is sort of understandable. And also, I think something that's really interesting and you don't often see explored in film, like as somebody who who suffers with chronic pain, it can change you.
Yeah, absolutely.
It can literally change your personality. It can change who you are as a person. So, I think for for Nick Cage Cage's character, this it's kind of yeah he's a junkie now but also some of some of the other changes could be because he's in pain all the time and just seeking for a way out.
Yeah. And it's not but it's not it's not just the pain as well. It's the the things that the pain affects. It's you know he you notice in the film where he's sort of walking everywhere like with a slanted shoulder
bit stifflegged sometimes.
Yeah. Yeah.
And um You know, there's there's that part in the movie when he says, "I'm going to go and try and get an hour in the crib." And he's often there's another line of dialogue where the the I think the captain of the police station says, "You're always working." So, I'm thinking, well, he's always working because he can't sleep. He can't sleep because he's in pain. So, what's he doing to manage that? He's taking all of these drugs that he can get hold of, but also he's working constantly, so he doesn't have to think about the pain. He just has something to take his mind off it. It's I thought it was all like really interesting contextual stuff that he's just try and it's all because of that because of his injury and he's he's managing trying his best to manage that and he's like don't get me wrong he's a piece of s*** like what he does in the film

(06:40):
like there's a lot of stuff that you wouldn't do
but there's you can sort of see how he gets there and there is some stuff that you're like oh you you kind of want to do the right thing don't you but you just are doing a very self-serving way.
Yeah I see what you I think it's interesting because like I say, it's not a perspective we see often in film, but I think because it's because it's Nicholas Cage and because the performance is so big, it's easy to sort of write it off as kind of satirical.
Well, I think it absolutely is a satire,
but but as we've just said, like is it's not totally ungrounded.
Like it has stuff elements of of his character and and what happens to him and what leads him on this path are believable.
Yeah, I it's it it's absurd and I think you need an actor like Cage to kind of walk that line between being big and absurd and stupid because I think there's a lot of other stuff that's going on in this movie as well about um corruption and taking advantage of of people. You kind of need that. And that's kind of the satirical edge that I'm talking about. But it it goes so far that it kind of leans into absurdity, I think, a little bit.
Oh, yeah, for sure.
But but but I think that's the world we live in. Sometimes it can be absurd and I think that that's that's kind of what they're tapping into. That's the impression that I get in this movie. Like yes, it's it's insane and it's weird and it's absurd, but like isn't it like isn't life absurd though? Like you look at these these scumbags making billions a year out of pharmaceutical industry out of literally people taking becoming junkies and addicted to their drugs and paying absolute fortunes for it.
Especially in America. with the opioid crisis and like
as silly as a lot of what happens in the film is, it is kind of grounded. That's ultimately what I was trying to say. Like
yeah, I think you're right. I think it's it does go to some absurd places, like some of the cages scenes are just incredible and really fun.
Watching him sincerely talk about a rusty spoon was uh was new to me.
Yeah, it was great. But but it's in a it's set in a very real environment like we said post Ina, New Orleans,
the the uh becoming addicted to pain meds. Like these are all real problems that that America has.
Bit of social and civil unrest.
Yeah, exactly. Um government and corporations taking advantage of the little people.
Like it's it's all there, but it's it's it's done in a way that is like, "Yeah, I can see this. And isn't this ridiculous?" Like I I get what they're doing. And that's why I think that this is like it's just good move. I think it's a good movie. I think and I think it's underrated because because of all of those reasons.
I think so. A stumbling block I had I agree with everything you've just said, but the biggest stumbling block for me was just and I I'm going to struggle to really articulate this because I don't I can't necessarily pinpoint the difference between this and the original is that a lot of it's just unpleasant to watch.
Like he is a scumbag or he becomes a scumbag for whatever for reasons. Whether the reasons might be understandable or not, he's horrible.
Yeah. He's he's an opportunist.

(07:01):
Yeah. But so but so was Harvey Kotel's character. And he didn't have the chronic pain. He was just he was just a bent copper who
who did a lot of drugs and
loved cocaine.
Yeah. And sort of borderline sexually assaulted people who he pulled over in cars.
But there's kind of an element of redemption for him at the end
for for the in the original.
Yeah. Okay.
In a way. And and not to jump ahead of myself, but I think the way this is all tied up in a neat little bow sort of annoyed me. I didn't love that. I know that's part of the satirical edge that it has.
I wouldn't say that it is tied up in a neat little bow,
but we did sort of have a brief conversation about it the other night, so I know I think I know where you're coming from. We'll get to it. We can dig into that.
Yeah. Um but but because of that, I don't understand why I really like the original and I like this one a lot less. Because if anything, Nicholas Cage has more of a reason why he is the way he is. And Harvey Kitel is just a dick.
Yeah,
it's it's really strange.
You don't always need a reason, do you? Like, it depends on what you're watching and what you're watching it for and what it's doing for you. I I suppose I'm probably I haven't seen the original. Maybe I'll watch that and go, "Ah, this is a masterpiece and I'll like it more than this." But I think whenever Cage is in something, I'm sort of always a little bit predisposed to going I'm I'm going to laugh at something in this whether it's intentional or not. And grounding his character I just thought really worked very well for me. But that's not to say that I couldn't watch another film where someone is just a complete scumbag for seemingly no reasons or perhaps there are reasons that aren't fully explained and that are just hinted at maybe. And and that's that's that can be enough as well.
I think it's I think it's definitely a matter of personal taste for me because
films like Wolf of Wall Street for example obviously is
across the board critically acclaimed. Everybody loves it. You think it's a masterpiece. I struggled with it, man.
And I get it. I get it that it's played for laughs. It's a comedy. What have you, but he's such a piece of s***. I don't enjoy watching that.
I don't know. I I think I think I struggle with that for the same reasons I struggled with this.
I don't know why that's such a stumbling block for me. And yet, I'll watch horror films where people are murdering teenagers for no good reason and think it's excellent.
Like like tell you it's just a matter of taste. The Wolf of Wall Street is a really good comparison. Like I I I enjoy that movie and like you say, everybody on the planet apart from you enjoys it.

(07:22):
I look I can fully acknowledge it's a brilliantly made film.
No, but it's it's the the problem with the movie. Well, there's not a problem with the movie. Let me let me say that now. There's not a problem with the movie. It's fantastically made. It's one of Scorsese's best. It's in his top five for me easily.
No, my problem with the movie is Jordan Belelffort.
But yes, that but that's you know your to have a problem with him. You're meant to be like, "This is a piece of s***." But it's so f****** crazy and absurd the stuff that happens in it.
It It's kind of entertaining while why while you're watching it. But the problem is that a lot of people watched it and went, "I really want to be a trader."
Yeah. A lot of people took the wrong message from that movie.
It's the fight club problem. I want to start a fight club. No, my guy. You didn't watch that movie, did you? And if you did, you didn't understand it, did you?
Well, it's it's the same sort of group of films that that those people always caught on to American Psycho. Um,
great example. Yeah.
Uh, you've already said Fight Club. What's the other one?
Choke.
Was that Chuck Pelino as well?
That was Sam Rockwell, wasn't it?
Was it?
Yeah. He loves Wank.
Yeah.
In in the movie. I don't know about Sam Samwell. Maybe he does. I don't know.
Who doesn't love Wank?
Most people enjoy it, I think.
Someone without hands.
Oh, dark.

(07:43):
Um,
but I'm sure there there's a tall replacement for that.
Yeah. Um
but yeah, but movies like that, like you say, American Psycho, Fight Club, like there's a bunch of those movies.
The Matrix is another one that they always just people take the wrong message from it.
Oh, don't the f****** Red Pill. Oh my god. Yeah, you're absolutely right. Like, and Twat Face, what's his name?
Andrew Tate.
Yeah, you knew who I was talking about.
He The amount of times he he brings up the Matrix.
Yeah.
And I'm I'm so offended by that because what he's referring to as the Matrix is not real for a star, but also you're taking this movie that had really good intentions and it's a f****** great movie.
Mhm.
And you're kind of pissing on it.
Made by two trans women is that's not you know that's worth mentioning.
Yeah.
He he and they do not have the same ideologies. I would hazard a guess.
Yeah, I think you're probably right. Yeah.
So that's just a good example of pe people taking a property and just completely taking the wrong lessons from it, not really understanding what they're watching.
But it's difficult though, isn't it? Because if you sort of if you accept that once a piece of art is out into the world, everybody gets to draw their own conclusions, everybody gets to to get to take their own read of it,
then who are we to say anybody's doing it wrong. It's really difficult. It's really difficult.
I would say anyone that watches Andrew Tate content unironically.

(08:04):
Yeah. And if you're using it for nefarious purposes, like to to further your own agenda, then that's bad, obviously.
But Not relevant to Port of Call, New Orleans.
No, I can't imagine anyone's watching this film and going, "Ah, I really want to try some heroin."
Yeah. What a hero this man.
Yes. Yeah.
Look at him accepting his promotion. Dead behind the eyes.
Yeah. Yeah. Look at him trying to hide from the security cameras and just giving some heroin off the top.
Honestly, one of the one of the notes that I made after about half an hour was just what is the plot? Is the entire plot of this movie just him shaking people down for drugs?
Yeah, pretty Yeah, pretty I'm still puzzled as to what the exact plot was.
I don't There's There's not really a plot, is there? It's It's just what what happens to this guy when he becomes injured and addicted to to these to these meds. And
there's a story, but not so much of a plot.
Yeah, I guess so. Yeah. It's not like we've got to find the stones and snap our fingers so that Thanos can f*** off.
There's none of that going on. It's just like get me some crack quick.
Yeah.
Oh, no. I did Heroin. Give me some cocaine.
I love that part. I sniffed a bunch of drugs and I thought it was cocaine. Turned out it was heroin. So, I really need some co to balance me out. We've all been there,
have we? I definitely have never been there. But yeah, I think
I think that was one issue I sort of had with the film as well and that it sort of felt a bit meandering and I
Yeah.
was never 100% sure what was going on or what we were working towards.
I do think it could have been perhaps a little bit tighter.

(08:25):
That's one criticism I had is
it's what two hours.
It's two hours and for something that doesn't really have a clear plot as you say and and is a little meandering. I feel like it could have been a bit tighter maybe with some of the stuff that's in there. There's a lot of tangents that that Cage's character seems to go off on.
So, the the subplot with the Eva Mendes character and and her um working and you know the interactions they have with the Shane Wigan character. As much as I enjoyed that, I don't know. Like, I suppose that led to other altercations in the movie, but there's probably a way to do it a bit more economically.
It was just him darting around interacting with different people.
Yeah. Frenetically, like I get that that's that's part of it is I'm I'm staying up all night and I'm wigging out and I I can't sleep cuz I'm in so much pain and I'm on heroin and now I'm on coke and and now I'm doing some crack and like he's he's he's essentially suppose he's losing his mind as well throughout the movie.
Doesn't he say at one point he's he's only had like 3 hours sleep and 72 hours or something.
But I get the impression that that's pretty normal for him. Like
you try doing the amount of cocaine that he's done and then going to sleep. Like it's not I I couldn't tell. I don't know what
but but but I'm sure
from what you've heard
from what I've heard it's it's a stimulant and you can't sleep. Um so like he's got the the the pain that's keeping him awake and he's managing that pain with the drugs which are also keeping him awake. like he's pretty f***** throughout the movie and
I can't imagine cocaine would help with pain management.
I I think it does.
Like I'm no pharmacist, but I don't know.
Well, that would surprise me.
I I think it can.
I don't think you're getting that on the NHS anytime soon. Put it that way.
I know. I don't think so. I don't think you can get it on prescription.
Why don't you do some cocaine about it? Hope you feel better.
Yeah. Dentists used to serve it up though, didn't they?

(08:46):
Dentists?
Yeah. Or was it was actually in Coca-Cola. Wasn't it when that was? Yeah. Was that a myth or did that really happen?
I think that really happened. It does sound like one of those um are they called hypoc hypocr tales.
Hippocrop. Hypocryphal.
Yeah.
That thing.
I prefer your one.
It sounds hypocr when there's a story that's not true, but it sounds like it's true.
Hypocryphal is sort of more I thought it was that it was true, but it was kind of considered lost for a while and
right
passed down. I don't really know.
I don't know. But I think the cocaine and coke thing is real.
Okay.
I think so.
I might Google that because yesterday I walked past a bunch of um girls who were feeding swans and taking photos of themselves and they were getting way too close. And in my head I was just like, "Careful, one of them will have your arm off." And then I was like, "Is that true?" And I Googled it on the way to sainsburries and it's bollocks.
One of what will have your arm off? A swan.
A swan.
You thought
you never heard that old wives tale of don't get close to them. A swan can break your arm.
No,
I I typed into Google, I s*** you not. I typed into Google, can a swan, and the first thing to pop up was break your arm.

(09:07):
So, it's not just me. You can't say it's just a northern thing.
No, no, I haven't heard that. And also, I wouldn't have assumed that was true. How strong are is a swan?
They're pretty strong,
right? Okay. Is that the Queen's bird?
Well, not anymore.
No. Was there some legis ation that took it out of the the monarchy thing or
No, the queen died.
Sorry, what? The queen died.
Oh, no. What a shame.
Did you miss all the cues?
I do remember this actually. There were cues to see her corpse, weren't there? Yeah, I queued for three days just to make sure it actually happened. Um, anyway. Yeah. What was it about drugs?
Just and how unpleasant this film is. because I I have to say this doesn't happen often with your pics, but I will never ever take s*** from you ever again because there was one scene in this that I found so hard to watch, so unpleasant, and that's kind of something that you touched on earlier when they're coming out of the gator lounge or whatever it is.
Oh, interesting.
And he tries to shake that young couple down. Um, and basically ends up coercing the girl into giving him a hand job and handing over their drugs and I found that repulsive. It was disgusting. I would like give me Bad Boy Bobby any day. Nothing in any of my picks has been this bad. That was so grotesque to watch.
It wasn't great, but like I feel like there's I Bad Boy Bobby was way harder to watch than that scene cuz cuz like I'm I'm thinking about how absurd it is. Like I'm not really taking it seriously. Um and it just sort of escalated. out of nowhere like he followed them into the the car park,
give me your drugs, you match the description of people like and that's something that keeps popping up.
He take he nicks their crack. I feel I feel like that's probably the first time he's done crack as well and he loves it. He's like where has this been all my life but I so all right maybe this is the difference between this and the original because there is a very similar scene that happens in the original. Kind of not quite as gross but getting there. But because that's played straight, because it's played for what it is, it's a horrible repulsive moment. I'm sort of okay with it. Whereas in this, it's played for laughs, which made me so uncomfortable.
And I think maybe that the tone is the difference.
It was horrible. It was so gross.
I thought it was quite funny.
I couldn't bear it.

(09:28):
And and I and I like I really like the part when the guy tries to run away and he shoots his gun in the area. He's like, "No, you've got to watch."
Horrible.
Yeah.
Horrible.
Unpleasant. Yeah. I'm going to say something that might make me unpopular in this room, if not on the podcast. I'm starting to get Nick Cage fatigue.
Well, that we've watched a lot of Nick Cage movies recently,
and I can understand. I'm not
I know you're not. You're still sitting there in your Nicholas and the Cages t-shirt.
I I am loving this season. This might be my favorite season yet.
I'm at a point of Nick Cage saturation, I think.
He's a lot.
He's a He's a lot. Why? Why? Why do you think that is? just the amount of Nick Cage stuff we've done. Is it because you've been thinking about Nicholas Cage for the last six weeks?
Yeah, I think so. And because his performances are so big um and he almost always plays characters that would be insufferable to be around.
Oh yeah, without question. Oh no, not almost always. Absolutely always.
Um yeah, I'm trying I'm literally trying to
That's a really good question for our rap show actually. Like what
has he ever played a like Cage character would you actually want to have a drink with?
Maybe him from the unbearable weight of massive talent
where he's playing actually Nicholas Cage.
Yeah. But but a weird version of himself.
That might be the answer is no. Actual Nicholas Cage is is probably the best one.

(09:49):
Yeah. He's played some odd roles. I like to think of this as being in the same universe as The Wicker Man. I think
I thought about that.
Did you?
Yeah.
It's been strange to watch two films on the bands where he's played a cop.
Well, he's been a cop in almost all of my picks. Or an FBI agent.
That's true. in the first one.
Oh my god.
In in Right. Vampires Kiss. Book salesman or something.
I think he works at a publisher.
Yeah. Whatever.
Book salesman. Like he works at Water St. on a Saturday.
He works at books. Um after that was The Rock where he's FBI.
Yeah.
Uh Face Off where he's FBI
sort of.
Well, he is, you know. Um and then what was it after that? Snake Eyes Cop.
Jesus Christ. Wop. cop this one cop and then next week which we're not revealing yet.
Have him and Dean Norris ever been in a movie together. Is Nicholas Cage the most typ cast as a cop or is it Dean Norris? That's my question to you. Which one's played a cop more times?
I feel like Dean Norris is is more typ cast in that kind of general authoritative role.
When I Yeah. When I say cop, it extends to like military as well.

(10:10):
Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah. Starship Troopers. Um Um, yeah, he has like I did I don't think I realized that how much he's he's played a cop. I will say that I did almost I was very close to gone in 60 seconds on this lineup where he does not play a cop because Daryl Lindo plays the cop in the movie actually with Tim Timothy Olifant.
Um, so I could have mixed it up actually and put that on and maybe I should have but it's weird how in most like over half of the movies in this season he has played a policeman.
Yeah,
it is weird. weird. But but then again, like that's going to be my taste, isn't it? Like if you were doing a Nick Cage season, I think it would look quite different to my Nick Cage season.
You would think like there'd be some crossover, which would probably we've got some coming up, which you might be interested.
Um
in which he does not play a cop.
No, he doesn't play a cop in our last two movies, does he? No.
But yeah, it is interesting how many times he's played a cop. And I thought to myself as well, how many times has he held a gun in all of the movies, Nick Cage movies that I've seen? And it's almost won.
Yeah, it's crazy.
Apart from Dream Scenario where the Freddy glove.
So, this film to me is kind of full of um maximum cage moments, but I'd love to know if you have any particular favorites.
I do.
Lay them on me.
I I I love the part when um he's being uh followed by the the gangsters and he's doing the deal with Exhibit. He's decided that he's going to be a crooked cop
for a bit just to serve his own purpose. I I get the feeling that he's like, I can do kill two bears with one stone here. I can get the money I need, but also like get rid of this horrible drug dealer. But I think that scene where he gives um exhibit his lucky crackpipe and he talks about, well, why don't you give me 25% of the dope, you'll still have 75% of it, and he can stay out of prison. But I love the start of that scene because he does the he does the crack and he just starts wobbling his head like that. And I and that's
it's like my happy dance when I have food that I like.
Yeah. Yeah. Like that's the difference, isn't it? Like you're like, "Oh, oh, he's going to have some chips." He's like, "He's going to have some crack."
Yeah. That's the only difference between the two of us.
I I like that scene. That That's probably the most memorable cage cagiest of cage parts for me in this.
For me, it is. But I also love when they're just doing the iguana stuff and he's he's just in the background just looking at them and laughing.

(10:31):
There's quite a few moments of like animal cam
that weird moment of the alligator as well where we get all alligator POV almost.
I would like to put a camera on the alligator
just to remind us that we're in New Orleans in case we'd forgotten for a moment.
By the way, whoever's job it was to put a camera on on f****** alligator does I think it was Steo. Oh, that's how he died.
Alligator wrangler.
Yeah.
Um yeah, I I have a I have a couple I think um one of my I I would really love to know what was on the page and what Cage adlibbed. I would love that because there's some really odd lines. I think one of the first I wrote was um the very first scene between him and Val Kilmer and I think he calls somebody a s*** turd.
Yeah.
And I'm I literally made a note of that. That was noteworthy. But I'm like how redundant is that? They You're just calling somebody poop twice.
Yeah.
But that to me screams cage adlib.
Yeah.
So I'd really love to know
that. Um
that makes me think of a line from the big short where Steve Carell says, "So what you're telling me um Ryan Gosling is that these triple B bonds or whatever it was is dog s*** wrapped in cat s***."
I think my favorite actual scene of Cage being Maximum Cage was um when he's at the retirement home just shaving. He's got the electric shaver appropo of nothing.
He's hiding behind the door and the door closes.
It's so weirdly sinister but hilarious at the same time.
And you know in that moment as well he he definitely was like Vera my character has been up all night. He's he's unshaven. He needs to be shaving but he doesn't have time. I think he needs to be shaving in this scene.
Yeah.

(10:52):
And Verzo was like yes Nicholas. I love that idea. You should do that. You should do that. Definitely. Props, master. Get me a shaver. Bring me the shaver.
Cuz you can't look unckempt when you straight up threaten to murder two old ladies.
Yeah. And then that scene happens.
Yeah. Very strange.
I do. You know what? Like, it's it's weird because we were watching it and I had a good time watching it and I've been thinking about it a little bit and thinking, "Yeah, I enjoyed this movie. That was fun." But the more we talk about it, I'm like, "Ah, he actually is way worse than I thought that he was.
Yeah.
He tries to kill an old lady.
He takes her oxygen off, right?
I've forgotten that. Yeah.
Yeah. He's He's the worst.
He squeezes the air, but I I'm sorry, but it is kind of played for laughs and and it's quite funny that scene.
Yeah. But this is what I mean about a lot of it to me was quite uncomfortable. Like, did you not notice the number of times I sort of looked over to you with a shocked expression as we were watching it? Like literally mouth a gape. What is going on here?
Yeah.
Cuz I it was I was just continuously shocked. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Um, and then there's a point in the second half of the movie where he starts doing a voice like he's he's talking completely normally the entire film and then all of a sudden starts
doing like a ah wise guy.
Yeah.
Like out of nowhere.
It's almost like an old Hollywood noir kind of
so and and like the noir element I get because that was one of the notes that I made about the opening music. So noir. and and like kind of fitting with the location as well, I think. But yeah, really strange choices.
It's definitely something that I think um Herzog was interested in doing. He definitely wanted to do some kind of noir, but also he's Ver Herzog, so he's not going to just do a standard noir. He's going to lean into the absurdity, be a bit of a satire, but still retain some elements of maybe a classic classic noir.
Um

(11:13):
I will say that this was the first ever shootout I've ever seen that was soundtracked by harmonica.
Yeah, that's fair.
To the best of my knowledge anyway.
Yeah, I can't think of any others.
Um,
can we talk about the ending?
Yeah, of course.
Because that is something that I struggled with. We brought it up earlier. I'd like to revisit it now.
Okay.
I thought it tied everything up a little bit too neatly. I think I I I get what you're saying like the tone of the film doesn't necessarily allow for a bleeaker ending like the original had, but I think because He's so awful because he's a preposterous human being. I I struggled to see everything come up Milhouse cuz like he I don't know you you kind of seemed like you were saying the stuff with exhibit and the crackpipe. Like obviously there were bits that he'd pre-planned but I don't think he had this sort of overarching master plan where everything came together. I think he he definitely looked out in the end.
I think that he tried to plan as much as he could. He was obviously a very sharp intelligent man with a wild um imagination, but I think that he planned it as much as he can. But it did seem to work out a little too much in his favor. There was that scene there was that scene, wasn't there, in the police station at the end where was it Brad Durf came in and was like, "You won that bet."
Yeah. Cuz he tried to bribe a football player to to throw the game in his favor.
Yeah.
Um and the footballer sat out the game because he didn't want to do that. Yeah.
But it turned out that it ended up in his favor anyway.
Yeah. So, you got Brad Dorov, he's like, "By the way, you've won 10 grand." Shay Wiggum comes in. I'm really sorry. Like, all of our problems are over. The captain leans into the camera and it's really like it's definitely intentional because he's like, "Oh, well done. Like, we've caught exhibit."
It's it's really like laid on thick. Like,
it really is. But that's what makes me think that it's that's part of the design of it. Like,
I don't I don't doubt that at all. I'm just saying that didn't necessarily work for me.
No. And that's and that's fair. I I think um perhaps we might have discussed this briefly while we were watching it. Did you mention Did you have a question of whether or not this might be a dream? Did you say is he dreaming or
No, I'd kind of hoped that

(11:34):
maybe that was my thought.
Like maybe he was overdosing
cuz I thought I thought that too. I was I couldn't remember the ending of this film. Part of me was thinking, "Yeah, he's we're going to at the end of the movie it's going to flash back to him and he's like this whole third act he's imagined he's just in some crack then oding somewhere and I thought maybe that's how it was going to end so I was very surprised when it ended the way that it did I don't necessarily feel like it's the neat ending that it appears to be but I think it's I think it's an interesting take on let's say a quote unquote neat ending when everything's tied up
yeah because he stumbles into yet another promotion doesn't he
yeah he he he does he gets promoted again the they've caught all the bad guys is as far as everyone else is concerned, all of the fuz cuz the whole family, his dad, his Coolage, his stepmom, his partner Eva Mendes, they all have clean substance abuse problems and they've all cleaned themselves up for for the final um scenes of the movie. And you're led to believe or you're meant to believe that also Nick Cage has cleaned himself up and you know, now he's got promotion and he's he's he's uh clean, perfectly clean now.
But that's not the case. Like he's still out working nights. There's a repeat of the scene outside of the gator's retreat where he follows another couple into that that dingy car park and it's almost exactly a beat forbe uh remake of that that scene from the first act. So I don't think it's I think it's like um an ending that's meant to appear neat, but I what I like about that is that I found it I find it quite I don't know if
Don't say realistic.
I would I don't know if I would say realistic, but I I I understand what he they were going for in that oh this white policeman has somehow fallen upwards.
Yeah.
Everything has worked out for him. He's still f***** up.
But no one knows that cuz he's hiding it better now. And I feel like there's something more realistic about that approach approach maybe like the illusion of cleanliness, the illusion of cleaning up your act and being the quote unquote good not good guy now whereas you're still a piece of s***. But you're just better at hiding it now.
You can roll a turd in glitter, but it's still a turd.
It still tastes like a turd.
Why would you eat it?
I don't know.
Glitter and turds. Neither are edible. I suppose anything that you eat is technically edible.
Yeah. If you can pass it through your bowels, I guess it's edible.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Just the question of whether whether you should
Yeah. Yeah. It's that Jeff Gold quote from Jurassic Park.

(11:55):
Yeah. That's what he was referring to. So, I I didn't mind this ending because I I hear what you're saying. I think it does feel like it's all a little bit too neat, but I don't know. There's something about it that I find more haunting in a way that the way that it appears like everything's nice and sweet, but it's really
just concealing the rot underneath.
Yes. But you um without spawn in the original movie, you prefer the ending of the original.
I kind of prefer everything about the original. Yeah.
Um I don't know. I there's there's quite a few Abel Ferrara movies that I love. Um that one and Miz 45 are probably my favorites that I've seen. I think Driller Kill is one that he was maybe most famous for. Certainly that's what put him on my radar when I was a teenager cuz that was one of the OG video nasties, but it's not a very well-made film.
Whereas I think Badly Tenant and things like Miss 45 are really I don't know. He's got something about him. He's not the best director, but there is something really appealing about his films to me.
And you know me, I love a really bleak ending. To me, there was more about that that appealed to me, like the it touched on religion, like Catholicism, that sort of stuff. There was just more about that that that spoke to me. And I don't necessarily think this one is a bad film by any stretch.
No, I know. I get that impression. Yeah.
And I think it's I think it's genuinely well made. I see what they were going for. I think it's very interesting. It just there was There was a bunch of stuff that didn't necessarily work for me.
Yeah. But it was but it's interesting though, isn't it? Like it's interesting to watch and
and some of it's genuinely funny.
Yeah. No, I totally agree. And I This was a I would say I was like the first maybe three episodes of this season were pretty much a lock. Like Vampires Kiss, The Rock, Face Off, they were pretty much in there. Hadn't seen Vampire's Kiss, but I really wanted to watch it.
Yeah.
And um because it was, you know, its reputation.
And aren't you glad we did?
And I I'm so glad it's it's now like in my top five most favorite Nicholas Cage movies for sure. Maybe
it's in my top one.
Maybe. It's amazing. And I I need to buy Well, I've not bought it yet.
It's hard to get hold of.
Um but this is definitely like in the mid area of the season. All the ones that I was like, I'm not sure which ones to go for. here. Um, unfortunately I I thought that I was diversifying the season quite a lot, but yeah, we've done another cop one, but I think it is different to those other ones. Like, it is a different It's a much darker
movie in tone and it has its moments. It is funny in places.

(12:16):
He didn't punch any women.
He didn't. No,
thankfully, we had enough of that in the man episode.
Admire Phil.
Yeah. But I I don't know. Like this mid the mid midsection of the season, I was kind of like h these these there could be a few options here. But I am glad that I chose this one because I do feel like it's a bit different to the others. Like we said, there's kind of the original whether or not it was based on the original and what that it feels like there's a whole story there to dig into.
I don't I don't necessarily think it was. I know Verzog was sort of quoted as saying that this one was he wanted it to be about what he termed the bliss of evil.
The bliss of evil.
Yeah. So I I think maybe knowing that beforehand, I might have got more out of it perhaps.
Yeah.
Um but yeah, I know Abel Ferrara was um was livid when he heard that his film was going to be remade.
Yeah, he was a real humorous bastard about it apparently.
Um but he did settle his beef with Herzog in 2018.
Well, with the wrestling match or
No, they had a lovely time. They spent three hours together and spent most of it laughing apparently.
Now That's a documentary. I know.
Like, f*** all this Rob Bryen and and Steve Kogan s***. We're following them around. I want to see Abel Ferrara
and Vera Herzog on a road trip.
Same.
Let's make that happen.
Yeah. So, with that done,
what film are we covering next week, Dan?

(12:37):
Well, next week will be the penultimate. Sadly, we are uh in a tail end of my Nicholas Cage.
I'm not sad about it.
I'll be so sad when it's done, but it's the penultimate episode of this season next week
and we're jumping ahead again by nearly a decade. We're we're chronological order. You understand? We're doing Mandy, which I believe is 2018.
This is Was this at my request? I did push hard for this one.
Well, there was it was it was this one and there was another one that I think you were kind of hopeful that that we would cover, but I think perhaps we would get that one. And maybe we'll talk about it in a man show and get that one into another theme. Yeah, I think but but for sure But for sure there were there was an element of okay, I've made you watch The Rock and pay yourself in that moment.
I'll throw you a bone.
I'll throw you a bone. Um, but also like it's a great movie and and I I think I've only seen it once and it's one of those where I was like
it kind of blew me away when I saw it and it's one of those that stayed with me for a long time
and I'm really interested to revisit it and see if I have a a same or different experience. Like it's a it's a very weird movie.
Sure is. Yeah,
but we'll dig into Mandy next week.
I can't wait.

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Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - S09 E70

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - S09 E70