Talkie Zoo: THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL

As riveting a film as I've ever seen The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009; R) is raw, to say the least. Nicolas Cage stars as a police officer in post-Katrina New Orleans who is investigating the murder of a whole family from Senegal. His investigation takes him to the deepest, most crime filled areas of a large city. (This could be any city, really.) As he sinks into the depths of drug addiction, he makes deals and arrangements with the low-lifes who run the underworld there.

Cage does an outstanding performance in this role as I began to wonder if his character hadn't united with the real man. His demeanor and appearance, down to the blackheads on his back, made him look as though he really was on terrible drugs. The character's mood swings went from violently angry to extremely ecstatic as his appearance went downhill.

The violence, brutality, and language are not for the faint of heart, but are essential to the story, nonetheless.