Poster of "Bad Lieutenant" - one of the "four greats" of New German cinema alongside Fassbinder, Wim Wenders and Schlondorff, Werner Herzog's new film - the remake of "Bad Lieutenant" has finally released its first batch of stills. The film features a host of Hollywood stars including Nicolas Cage, Val Kilmer, Eva Mendes etc. Its commercial flavor is much stronger than any of Herzog's previous films. The sexy bed scene between Eva Mendes and Nicolas Cage is particularly eye-catching.
The film tells an ordinary story of a "rogue cop": Hansen, a rogue police officer who likes to take drugs and play with women. After taking drugs, he goes into a frenzy: raping and killing. The police department thinks he is a big drug problem, but no one wants to get involved in this trouble. Later, under the request of the headquarters, the police department begins a thorough investigation of Hansen... Although it is a remake, director Herzog said he had not seen Abel Ferrara's original 1992 version. The new "Bad Lieutenant" is completely independent and the story will be darker.
The film has been selected for the main competition section of the 66th Venice Film Festival, competing for the Golden Lion Award with many heavyweight films. Herzog has always had a connection with Venice. In 1991, his film "The Call of the Stones" was nominated for the Golden Lion Award. Since then, he has focused his work on documentaries. In 2005, he won the Venice Film Festival's FIPRESCI Award with a somewhat science-fictional documentary exploring space, "The Wild Blue Yonder". It is unknown whether this "Bad Lieutenant" will win another award.
It is reported that the film will be released in the United States in 2009. More exciting stills are available.