Bad Lieutenant

Stars: Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs, Sister Act, Thelma & Louise). Cult director Abel Ferrara's latest trip to the gutter goes way beyond previous efforts like King of New York. Harvey Keitel stars as the unnamed NYC lieutenant, a depraved junkie who's always snorting, smoking, or shooting confiscated drugs, in addition to his heavy drinking. When a nun is gang-raped on a city church altar, the lieutenant begins investigating the case, but his mind is really on the Dodgers-Mets World Series which he's betting heavily on, and losing. Late in the film, the lieutenant, baffled by the nun's willingness to forgive her assailants, breaks down in the church and argues with a vision of Christ. Unfortunately, it's too little, too late. Bad Lieutenant is riddled with problems both thematically and technically. The lieutenant's numerous drug scenes are almost always shown in graphic detail and very boring real time, while the rape scene of the nun is cut MTV-style and includes an actor portraying Christ crying out on the cross (the same Christ appears later on to Keitel in a rather blatant violation of point-of-view). The lieutenant, whose other activities include holding a pair of young female motorists captive while he stands outside their car masturbating and talking a stream of misogynist profanity, is a one-dimensional character for most of the movie. We feel no sympathy for him during his last minute crisis of conscience at the film's end. For all of its shocking aspects, Bad Lieutenant could have been an interesting movie had the story really explored the question: what is the nature of forgiveness? (which is briefly raised). But director Ferrara is not drawn to creating either an absorbing story or compelling characters. He's the cinematic equivalent of a flasher, and with the new NC-17 rating, he's found his element. Audience: Most will be offended; however, the critical community--desperately afraid of being called prudish-- fell over their collective shoelaces heaping praise on this piece of junk. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—July 21, 2009—Lionsgate, 96 min., NC-17, $19.98—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1992's Bad Lieutenant features a nice transfer and a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. DVD extras include an include an audio commentary by director Abel Ferrara and director of photography Ken Kelsch, the 34-minute “making-of” featurette “It All Happens Here,” and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an unpleasant film that is more notorious than good.][Blu-ray Review—Oct. 12, 2010—Lionsgate, 96 min., NC-17, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1992's Bad Lieutenant sports a nice transfer with DTS-HD sound. The bonus features are identical to those on the standard DVD release, including an audio commentary by director Abel Ferrara and cinematographer Ken Kelsch, the “making-of” featurette “It All Happens Here” (34 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine-looking Blu-ray debut for an ugly film that split critics.]