Herzog's 'Bad Lieutenant' Transforms New Orleans into a Jungle

In Werner Herzog's 2009 film 'Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans', the director subverts classic film noir tropes by depicting the post-Katrina city as a literal jungle. The movie opens with a water snake, echoing a scene from Herzog's 'Rescue Dawn', and features iguanas in close-up as prehistoric intruders, a crushed crocodile seen from another crocodile's perspective, and a policewoman with reptilian features. Nicolas Cage delivers a magnified performance as a corrupt, limping lieutenant, his erratic body mirroring the desolate urban landscape. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (2005) is visible in traces but barely discussed by characters. The review, published by artpress on December 23, 2010, is written by Elsa Boyer.