Directed by:
Abel FerraraCinematography:
Ken KelschComposer:
Joe DeliaCast:
Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Paul Calderon, Frankie Thorn, Paul Hipp, Vincent Laresca, Frank Adonis, Zoë Lund, Peggy Gormley, Penelope Allen, Eddie Daniels (more)Plots(1)
He has survived on the streets for twenty years. He's a gambler... a thief... a killer and a cop. Now's he's investigating the most shocking case of his life, and as he moves closer to the truth, his self-destructive past is closing in. Harvey Keitel gives a searing performance as an out-of-control police detective on a collision course with disaster in director Abel Ferrara's brilliant and deeply disturbing crime drama. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (3)
Bad Lieutenant is entertaining in the sense of arousing curiosity about what will happen next, but not in the sense of being very enjoyable. Harvey Keitel’s performance is brilliant, but the mess he gets himself into is missing some excitement. Three stars with both eyes closed, perhaps only thanks to the memorable scene with the girls without a driver’s license.
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Keitel’s magnum opus. A sophisticated perversion, indulging in everything immoral, bad and evil. This confrontation with a religious-flavored case eventually culminates in an ingeniously conceived and, in the overall context, completely useless confession. Sure, it’s disgusting, but in places painfully truthful.
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The film is shot as a gritty street film, it is somewhat reminiscent of Scorsese's "Taxi Driver". It's as if there is nothing good on the streets, as if filth and disgust truly reign. The connection with religious visions is then strange and somewhat disturbing. It's understandable with Scorsese, but even with Abel Ferrara, who comes from a similar environment and has Italian, primarily Catholic roots. Nevertheless, this doesn't change the fact that the rawness of the streets is in an unnecessary and unpleasant contrast that won't say much to an atheist. However, Harvey Keitel delivers a performance that you will admire and maybe even hate.
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