Bad Lieutenant

Rating:
Summary: Captivating! (and un-cut!!)
Review: Wow! I was quite glad to find this film on DVD relatively cheap. Well, this "un-cut" NC-17 version is even darker, eerier and more pathetic in mood than the last tape I rented of it. There are many additional scenes and the downward spiral of Keitel's character is finally set free from the censors, who must have had a field day on it in the past. This film is much deeper than just a gritty drug movie. If you just want to see Harvey Keitel smoking crack and masterbating than you are missing the power of this great film. I've always felt this movie captures true "desperation" in a beautifully black and empty way. Keitel's character is madly searching for ANYTHING to give him a crumb of pleasure in life. He is floundering about in this hazy narration of his final days on earth. The film is like a depressing abstract painting of Keitel's post mortem convulsions. I am not one for resiting the plot - you can read the back of this DVD. I'll just say it is surely my favorite Keitel film and an all around upsetter for the weak of heart! It will upset you, captivate you and maybe even make you think. Now go rent it and play it for your friends!

Rating:
Summary: Keitel at his best
Review: Directed by Abel Ferrara and truly disturbing at some points. Bad Lieutenant is no doubt one of the best films of the ninties. About a corrupt cop who abuses his power in any way he can. But all that changes when he investigates the the rape of a nun. Keitels performance is powerful and moving. Almost completly unknown cast except for Victor Argo (Fans of Martin Scorscese might remember him from "Mean Streets"). Zoe Lund who also scripted has a small role as a prostitute. R-rated version is cut by 5 minuits and includes alternate scenes. Scenes missing include the Keitel's ridiculous full frontal nude scene and the leud act between Keitel and two girls in a car,the rape scene is also heavily cut. Overall highly recomended to all film buffs and fans of cop films. Refers to NC-17 Version

Rating:
Summary: Great, Great, Great.
Review: This is a Great film. It is not for everyone. A lot of people hate it. It's not the type of movie you enjoy with the family with a big bag of popcorn. This is the type of movie you might want to watch alone, with no distractions, late at night. The movie can be very irritating if you are not in the mood. Don't get the impression that this is some bitchin' tough guy cop action flick. Because it's not. Sorry i can't explain the film very well. There really is no plot. It's like watching someone's life in the downward spiral or whatever they call it. And it's very sad, even though the main character is a lowlife, i felt bad for him.

Rating:
Summary: Harvey at his best
Review: i went to the theater to see this movie right from the get go i knew this was my kind of movie Harvey cursing at his kids for being late for school snortin coke outside their schoolyard in his car i have seen a lot of movies with cops gone bad but this movie takes it to another level im telling you if you want to see Keitel at his best check this out this isnt just another movie filled with fantasy drug scenes this is the real deal his gambling problem runs close to the bone with his drug habit i highly recommend this movie to all my Harvey Keitel fans

Rating:
Summary: Controversial yet impressive
Review: Harvey Keitel gives his best performance in this rough, intense melodrama following the final days of a crooked cop as he investigates the brutal rape of a nun and seeks redemption. This film is dark and depressing not to mention has some very explicit scenes, but it is still powerful. Not for the faint of heart or those easily offended, this film looks at a corrupt cop doing some very bad things and shows how even the most cruel and evil of men can still find a chance for forgiveness. Keitel is a brilliant actor. No other actor out there could've done this role quite like him. He and Abel Ferrara put together a film that may challenge your way of looking at things but it will remain unforgettable and intense long after viewing. This movie had an impact on me. One of the most depressing films ever made... it really stands out. a film like this is worthy of accolades and much attention.

Rating:
Summary: Abomination of all that is holy!
Review: Although this is an older movie, I felt compelled to write a review after I recently saw it. Besides the fact that this movie has no redeeming moral values at all, it is also utterly depressing. After watching this I wondered what the actual point of this movie is. It seems like the director is trying to make some profound statement about the human condition, but I fail to fully understand his message. If you really want to see a classic movie dealing w/ corrupt cops then go rent Serpico. It made me sick to think that there probably are morally unjust cops like Harvey Keitel's character.

Do yourself a favor and dodge this absolutely stagnant garbage. I would easily watch Shaq-Fu continuously, than suffer through this film again. If you decide to disregard my words and rent this movie, then make sure you bathe yourself in holy water after it's over.

Rating:
Summary: Rough Thriller
Review: Harvey Keitel gives his most outstanding performances in "Bad Lieutenant." He plays a cop, real bad and drinks too much at work. At home, he does the best he can for his wife and his extended flock of relatives.

There's a scene at the beginning of the lieutenant walking around at home, nude and drunk, which is one of the reasons this movie had an NC-17 rating. If you can take that and the rest of the film, you should have no problem watching it.

The movie doesn't give the lieutenant, or anyone else a name. You know the lieutenant as a "lieutenant" and the nun as a "nun."

When a nun is brutally raped, the lieutenant visits the hospital to see her. The nun forgives the rapist and will not name him. The lieutenant goes off to find out who raped her because he can't believe a woman can forgive someone for such a crime.

This movie is worth watching and shocking. The NC-17 version is the one to see if you want to see a "real" Bad Lieutenant. If your kids want to see it, you're better off with the R rated version.

Rating:
Summary: Shocking or Schlocking...
Review: I saw this movie in the cinema as well as purchasing the DVD version for a few dollars. I bought this movie because Keitel is excellent in this movie. There are a few classic scenes in this movie that I show for effect. They are excellent and show Keitel's commitment to his craft, and you will enjoy them.

However, that's the problem with this movie. It's like the director just made a bunch of cool scenes that he thought would be really shocking. There is not a strong enough story to me to tie it together. I've been in a bit of catholic school, so I know about guilt.

There are graphic scenes too, that didn't bother me, but may offend/disturb people who have been through a similar trauma.

If you like Keitel, and you want the ultimate bad cop movie that will shock some of your more jaded acquaintances. Then cop this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: it's your world... i just reboot it from time to time.
Review: This movie is an uncompromising look at redemption and the value of god in human lives. As an atheist, and a former christian who comes from a long line of christians, (My Grandfather was a Methodist preacher.) I feel particularly well suited to comment about spirituality, and the message of christianity. I've learned the lessons from good teachers, and examined my beliefs and held them wanting, but this film always makes me second guess myself... I ask all you bible thumpers... ISN'T THAT THE GOAL?

I feel it is perhaps the most potentially powerful film a devout christian has at his disposal to make converts. It is a shame that the church and its members so horribly misunderstand this movie. To me, the movie represents all of the things I found compelling and good about christianity, and it is sadly ironic that so many condemn it, when they could be utilizing it very effectively as a weapon.

Yes, it is filled with incredible acts of depravity. Yes, it holds up countless horrific acts and delivers a "Looking for a Loophole" variety ending of instant salvation. But I argue that it simply has to. The depravity offers entertainment for the very persons you want to reach. If you made a "Davey and Goliath" tale out of this story, no atheists or agnostics would watch it. They would turn to South Park instead. But if you fill the movie with a sort of "one upmanship" of blasphemy and greed, you'll hold their interest, you'll get them in the door, so to speak. Also, if the movie let up in its depravity at all, objectors could point at Keitel's character and say "See, he's not ALL bad, not as worthless as me, anyway. Sure he can be saved, but I've done worse." To be an effective example of the potential of your belief, you need to portray the lieutenant as the worst possible person.

To address the objector that says that a movie about salvation can't be a tapestry of horrible sin with a single pot-shot redemption at the end... I answer that this also is the ONLY way this salvation could be portrayed in this movie. The message is, that it is never too late to be redeemed. For the movie to be an effective tool it needs to be more depraved, more sick, more twisted than the worst man, otherwise, who would trust in a god that only wants to save the slightly sullied? What god did for the unnamed lieutenant, literally the "least of these," he can do for any man. Remember all you christian objectors, that according to your bible, the ONLY man Jesus tells directly "you will be at my side in heaven," is a thief at the moment of his execution, all others are merely promised salvation if they obey the golden rule and live a moral life and believe in jesus yadda-yadda-yadda.

The movie also shows the role of a proper christian. Not as a hard-core, door-to-door salesman, but as a person who lives by their faith, and is an example that shines out in this depraved depiction. No preaching is necessary, the actions of the nun are clearly motivated by her faith, and they stand in stark contrast to the lieutenant's corrupt world. He simply can't comprehend her. Her selflessness, her lack of desire for revenge terrifies him. He can't understand it, or fit it in his paradigm, and it is the first sure sign that he knows that something is wrong is his own life. In trying to emulate the good he sees in her, he does the first good thing in his life, and because he pays the price for it, he is assured redemption. It is as simple as that.

In closing, the reaction of many "followers" of christ to this film, which is such a clear example of the message intended by their religion, typifies the very type of surface level sunday schoolism that made me doubt my faith to begin with. Few christians are willing to face the fact that their religion demands that they go sleep in the gutter and hang out with the addicts. Instead they think god is a hymn singer and a plate passer in a red-velvet church. The "horribly depraved society" shown here is no suprise to a soup-kitchen worker or needle exchange volunteer, and perhaps that says the most about the value of the film.

Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 stars actually
Review: I have liked Harvey Keitel's performances in the past with Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, & Reservoir Dogs but this must be his greatest performance of his acting career. I'm suprised that he was not even nominated for an Academy Award for outstanding role about an over the edge catholic cop on the breakdown of his life. His role in this movie never got the recognition it deserved. I wish the movie was longer and showed more sequence as to what happened to him at the end and why he got himself involved with drugs. Other than that the movie is good if you are a Keitel fan.