New Orleans provides an interesting location in the wake of the hurricane that resulted in the flooding of much of the city. Shot during the summer of 2008, the film offers a background of what the area has become. Cage is colorful as Terence McDonagh, a detective who makes his own rules and operates recklessly. He is hooked on drugs, and Cage gives a brazen portrait of someone managing to function on the edge.

Although in the realm of film noir, the work provides considerable humor, mostly supplied by the sheer audacity of Cage’s detective character and the way in which he flouts regulations and abuses his position of power. But make no mistake, danger and violence lurk, and the question is whether an addict can handle the challenges and emerge heroic.

The love interest in the film involves McDonagh and a prostitute, Frankie, played y the appealing Eva Mendes. The screenplay by William Finkelstein is loaded with smart lines, action and tension, yet the film as directed by Herzog moves along as an off-beat, enjoyable escapade. It is helped by overall excellent casting, including Val Kilmer and Fairuza Balk.