Werner Herzog Believes That Nicholas Cage Is A Bad Lieutenant

Bad Lieutenant(Abel Ferrara’s 1992 masterpiece of human depravity) is a movie that is impossible to forget. One of the first films to proudly sport the NC-17 rating, this Harvey Keitel-starring shocker is an uncomfortably realistic glimpse of a New York Lieutenant who suffers from more addictions and disturbing tendencies than any criminal who he pursues. The film is so unrelentingly dark that it almost scars the mind of anyone who sees it and viewers normally require a shower after the credits roll to clean off all of the filth acquired during the preceding 96 minutes. It’s a dark little miracle of a movie that must have been almost impossible to gather funding for, which is why it seems like a truly odd an unexpected choice for a remake. But, a “re-imagining” (to use the more contemporary and socially acceptable term) is in the works nonetheless and it is set to be directed by the only man who is insane and ambitious enough to tackle the subject mater: Werner Herzog.

Herzog is the infamous German director known for his dark and bizarre movies about figures who exist on the fringes of society. His love of flawed characters, desire to expose dark human truths, bizarre sense of humor, and utter commitment to realism (see Stroszek for all of these qualities) make him an inspired choice for the project. The only downside? Nicholas Cage has been cast in the lead role. While Cage started his career as a quirky character actor who specialized in performances that teetered on the edge of insanity (see Raising Arizona of Leaving Las Vegas), he’s drifted into self-parody ever since his career segued from award-winning thespian to over-acting action star. Cage has essentially been reproducing his geeky inadvertent action star role from The Rock for the past decade and has become a joke amongst serious film fans. Check out this clip for a collection of his lowest moments:


Bad Lieutenant is an actor’s movie if there ever was one and it is completely driven by Harvey Keitel’s stunning performance. Without a lead actor who can match Keitel’s considerable acting chops, this new version will inevitably pale in comparison. That said, if there was ever an director who could coach some strong acting out of Nicholas Cage, its Herzog. Herzog has built a career out of working with non-actors (a cast of little people in Even Draves Started Small, a group of bizarre locals in Stroszek) and eccentric character actors (including his infamous relationship with Klaus Kinski, whom Herzog once had to direct with a loaded gun). If anyone can rid Nicholas Cage of his bad habits and find the character actor who once assumed its name it’s Herzog, While it is far too early to predict the success or failure of this project (the cameras haven’t even started rolling yet) now, the film is undeniably intriguing and already demands to be seen.