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Bad Lieutenant
1992
Harvey Keitel stars as a nameless New York cop, hopelessy addicted to drugs, gambling, and sex, in this intense, hallucinatory portrait of sin and redemption by Abel Ferrara. The film follows the lieutenant as he makes his way to various crime scenes, concerned only with taking bets from his fellow cops on the outcome of the .. Read more
| Starring | Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Paul Calderon, Leonard Thomas |
|---|---|
| Director | Abel Ferrara |
| Genres | Drama |
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Bad Lieutenant
Harvey Keitel stars as a nameless New York cop, hopelessy addicted to drugs, gambling, and sex, in this intense, hallucinatory portrait of sin and redemption by Abel Ferrara. The film follows the lieutenant as he makes his way to various crime scenes, concerned only with taking bets from his fellow cops on the outcome of the ongoing National League playoffs. As his bad decisions drive him deeper into debt, his life becomes a surreal hell, with a constant intake of crack, coke, heroin, and booze eroding what remains of his sanity. An investigation into the rape of a nun (Frankie Thorn) leads to his spiritual breakdown at the church crime scene, where he sees Jesus and the road to his salvation. This gutsy, highly original tale is one of Ferrara's most perfectly realized films and a pinnacle in the career of Keitel, whose performance transcends the screen in its sheer bravery.
| Starring | Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Paul Calderon, Leonard Thomas, Robin Burrows, Frankie Thorn, Victoria Bastel, Paul Hipp, Zoe Tamerlaine Lund |
|---|---|
| Director | Abel Ferrara |
| Studio | PATHE DISTRIBUTION |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 30 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 30 Jun 2003 Production year: 1992 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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When director Abel Ferrara's films are good, they are exceptionally good, as proved by King of New York, Ms 45 and this highly controversial tale of a corrupt cop (Harvey Keitel) getting one last chance at redemption when he investigates the rape of a nun. The problem is that she has forgiven her attackers and therefore refuses to name them. This depiction of one man's vice-ridden hell is sexually explicit and brutally violent to an extreme degree, but the intention to shock audiences out of their complacency is the point of Ferrara's furious walk on the wild side. Keitel gives the bravest performance of his career so far as the lapsed Catholic in serious debt and even worse moral and ethical chaos.
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A lurid and exploitative melange of drugs, sex, masturbation, rape and religiosity, hardly justified by the suggestion of redemption tacked on to its end. What does save it, even if it doesn't justify it, is the force of Harvey Keitel's performance.
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Most helpful member's review
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10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Harvey Keitel delivers his greatest performance in this bleak drama
Few actors have proved as willing to accept challenging, risky roles as Harvey Keitel. Other actors have achieved more fame, won more awards and made bigger hits, but none have been as courageous.
'Bad Lieutenant' is the film in which Keitel went deeper than ever before. As the lieutenant of the title he blurs the lines between cop and criminal. His married life is a sham, he drops the kids at school but can't wait to get them out of the car to get his first fix. When he breaks up a robbery he takes the cash for himself. He is under no illusions, he knows he is bad but is too far down the road to change.
This film is not an easy watch. The lieutenant slips deeper into degredation, drinking, stealing, taking drugs. In one of the films most disturbing scenes he pulls over two teenage girls and subjects them to what can only be described as verbal rape.
And yet, when a local nun is raped the lieutenant sees this as his chance for redemption. This will divide viewers, how bad can a man be and still deserve salvation?
The film is directed by Abel Ferrara but it's Keitel's picture. This is not acting, this is a man stripped to his soul for the camera. Ferrara wisely give the whole film over to his leading man whose shockingly brilliant display helps paper over some of the cracks in the narrative. As the lieutenant slips towards his nadir, Keitel reaches his zenith. -
Most recent members' review
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6 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Terrible
Unless you're turned on by the idea of a full frontal of Harvey Keitel (ugh), you'll do better to watch Bob the Builder or something. There are so many better 'gritty' movies, even 'gritty cop' movies, this is basically pointless. And the weird noises Keitel keeps making are just annoying. Not sure who thought he was a good actor, but they sure weren't watching this at the time.
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