Rating: 
Summary: An unflinching, uncompromising look at self-destruction.
Review: Abel Ferrara has never been the type of director whose films arouse cries of 'wow' from his audience. He is a bland director, favoring realism over spectacle. And while many directors fail in their attempt to reach their audience by not creating the appropriate 'world' for their characters to interact in, Ferrara always seems to make us connect with his characters. Even though we may not want to in the first place. What Ferrara lacks in style, he makes up for in sheer bravery. 'Bad Lieutenant' is his finest film since 'Ms. 45' and his best overall. Following a corrupt (to say the very least) cop through his last few days on earth, Ferrara manages to create a film that's both harrowing and challenging. It is also a movie that's as much about religion and the saving of one's own soul as it is about drug addiction and the corruption of power. The 'bad lieutenant' is never given a name. Who he is is not important. It's what he has become that matters. He is a gambler, a thief, a guilt-ridden Catholic, and a drug-addict. He is seen snorting cocaine outside his children's school, drinking in church, trying to steal drugs from the car of a recently murdered dealer, and even pocketing money from two young men who recently robbed a convienant store. The turning point of his life comes when he begins to investigate the brutal rape of a young nun. Sounds like a fun film, huh? Indeed this is a shocking movie, one which leaves an aftertaste at the base of your throat that you will not get rid of for days and days, but at it's center is a shred of hope, not much, but you feel it kicking and screaming there, waiting for someone to hear it. Harvey Keitel gives the performance of his career and one of the greatest film performances of the past twenty years. He bares his body (marking the first appearence of Harvey Jr.) and soul, unafraid of the material, embarrassing himself for the story. One of the true signs of a great actor is the lack of self-preservation. Few actors would allow themselves to be seen this way, but Keitel lays himself out there without any fear or hesitance. His performance is remarkable in every way. This is a film that is powerful and disturbing and not to be embraced frivolously. It's strength and message will be felt for days after viewing. One of the best films of the 1990s.
Rating:
Summary: He's a bad cop and out of control. But there is redemption.
Review: In this 1992 film Harvey Keitel is cast in the role of a bad cop. He's a addicted to cocaine, abuses power and is at the bottom of a downward moral decline. He shows us his weaknesses and bares his soul and we hate the acts he does but also see a tortured man who is out of control in every way. When another cop is about to arrest some thieves, Keitel sends the other cop away, takes their money and then lets the thieves go. He gets his payoffs in cocaine from drug dealers. He uses his police power to force some teenage girls to satisfy his sick needs. And he is constantly drinking to counteract his cocaine high. It's rather surprising, but not unbelievable, that he still lives with his family and four children but he has long since given up any attempt at reconciling to a middle-class life. And, to top it off, against the background of the World Series, he is way over his head in gambling debts. Then he is brought into a case where a young nun is brutally violated. She knows the two men who have committed the terrible act but refuses to name them to the police. "I have already forgiven them," she says. This throws Keitel into a moral and spiritual quandary, and how he resolves it might be shocking to some but is understandable, given his character. This is perhaps Harvey Keitel's finest performance. I felt his humanity in spite of all his nasty acts. Underneath it all was a very troubled human being. Wisely, the screenwriter didn't give him a name. We just think of him as the bad cop. And also, wisely, we don't get any back story. I had been actually waiting for it. I wanted to know the reason that would make a man act this way. But my curiously was never satisfied. Instead, I was thrown into the man's current moral dilemma. The result was a deeply disturbing journey into the depths of depravity and redemption. I applaud the filmmakers, as well the director Abel Ferrera, who, with the help of Zoe Lund, also wrote the screenplay. It took a lot of courage to bring this story to the screen. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Bravado filmmaking at it's finest!
Review: As tough as any review might seem, behind this trainwreck of a movie lies one of the most important pieces of work in bravado film history. Often compared with Taxi driver, Abel Ferrara 1992 effort is a disturbing hell of a ride from title to end credits. I consider myself lucky for having the stomach, the patience and the strengh to watch it repeatedly and still being able to absorb it without passing out with the high ammount of ultra disturbing material this film dares to offer...and I still enjoy it very much. Drugs, death, addiction...good lord...you should be asking yourself... why should I watch a piece of junk like this? this is no junk at all, this is a lesson too important! This film is strong, powerful, realistic, impressive, daring and bold in every aspect, and it does have the power to disturb and shock hundreds of thousands of viewers...and I believe that's a beauty! This is a film where no one's innocent, everyone is evil and redemption is the only cure. I hate doing reviews cuz films should speak for themselves, but all I have to say is that Harvey Keitel's bold self destructive and out of this world performance should be considered as the most viceral, dramatic, original and impressive charaterization of the 90's. This is his best performence ever!!! This guy showed the world that he can play anything you throw at him, no matter how difficult or dihumanizing it might be, he's the guy to pull it off brilliantly!. I can keep on writing for hours and hours about his impressive and jawbraking job on this movie but I wont...all I have to say is that if it wasn't for him, Bad Lieutenat wouldn't have 90% of its raw power...this guy is a class A actor all the way. And this also makes Abel Ferrara one of the most amazing directors alive...this movie is incredible! Be prepared for this highgly recommended film that should go down in history as the most viceral and daring film of the 90's. But be warmed, this film has the power to bring everybody down!. I haven't watch a film like this again!
Rating:
Summary: Gambler Thief Junkie Killer Cop ...
Review: Cult filmmaker Abel Ferrara has been a director who has tackled many tough themes throughout his career. His films are often raw, gritty, and extremely realistic (not to mention graphic and disturbing). Although "Ms. 45" and "The King of New York" are undeniably masterpieces, "Bad Lieutenant" stands out as Abel Ferrara's best and most realized film. "Bad Lieutenant" is one of the most important movies that you will ever see. It's the kind of film that will force you to put your life in perspective. But it's also the kind of movie that will disturb you. However, there's a fine line between a film being gratuitous and being honest. "Bad Lieutenant" is not a dirty movie, but rather an important film that is essential viewing to fans of offbeat and visceral character portraits. The story is rather simple, yet it leads into more complex grounds for discussion. Harvey Keitel, who gives the greatest performance of his life, plays the title character. He's probably the most corrupt cop you'll ever see. He does many things that viewers might find appalling and disgusting. However they do have a purpose. This is not a mindless cinematic exercise in mayhem, but a character study of a physically, emotionally, and mentally drained individual. Viewers who expect to see dramatic shoot-outs and buckets of blood will be disappointed - this is not an action movie. Director Abel Ferrara shoots this picture with the feel of a documentary - limited music, shot on location, realistic pauses in the action, and a sharp touch of reality that many viewers won't be able to stomach. Some of the scenes are done with such little "movie window dressing" that it looks like you're actually watching the events unfold on the city streets. The subplot involves a nun who (in the movie's most disturbing and graphic scene) gets raped by two young men. The Lieutenant (he's never given a name, further emphasizing his loner status in society) is assigned to the case, but the nun refuses to name her assailants. The whole idea that the nun can forgive these men for such a horrible crime leads the Lieutenant to believe that there might be redemption in store for him. There's more to the story, but the less you know, the better. It's also important to note that the ending rings true to the rest of the story, and is probably the most powerful scene in the film. The film is rated NC-17 for scenes of drug use, nudity, language, rape and violence. In fact, it's hard to imagine what they didn't include in this movie. If you're planning on seeing it, make sure you go into the film with an open mind. However, don't make any illusions to yourself... this is an extremely explicit film. You'll either love the movie or hate it, with very little room for a neutral reaction. This is an experience that you won't likely forget. Highly recommended!
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: Bad Movie
Review: There is no other way to put it this movie is banality at its worst. There is no real story here, other than Harvey Keitel's character going around doing bad things over and over again throughout the movie. No real plot, not real story line. It's just a montage of scenes of a bad cop doing things bad cops do. Thumbs way down.
Rating:
Summary: poignant
Review: Keitel never received the critical acclaim of his peers from the same era, partly because he was quite limited as an actor. While Deniro and Pacino wer capable of playing a multitude of roles, Keitel was capable of playing a person who was at times masculine and at other times tender.
Bad Lieutenant is no exception. Set in the mean streets of New York, Keitel plays a cop(I use the term loosely), who for years has been getting high and accepting favors from local prostitutes. After he is called to investigate the rape of a nun, he wants redemption.
Keitel's performance is not oscar-worthy, but the agony he beings to the role of Lieutenant is worthy of praise. Keitel does almost no real acting here, as he hardly has any conversations with anybody. I think Ferrara wanted to emphasize Lt's isolation from his surroundings(this is further confirmed by the fact that the Lieutenant has no real identity in the credits).
Shortly after viewing this film I read Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. I have been able to draw several parallels between that book and Bad Lieutenant. Both stories tell of a man who is aware of the ailments of the society in which he lives, and yet despite being aware of them, they constantly affect his life. In Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, the narrators relationship with his son was strained
, yet he constantly talks about a lcak of quality in American life, be it in relationships, everyday labour, or whatnot. Similarly in Bad Lieutenant, LT is commiti=ting crime of greater magnitude than the people he arrests!
In my opinion, Bad Lieutenant is one of the only movies that really explores the downfalls of this society. I've seen Training Day with Denzel, and I feel that that is much too glorified to be true. Bad Lieuteant is realistic and much more bold than Training Day.
Rating:
Summary: Makes Denzel look like a puppy
Review: The Bad Lieutenant is great movie that makes Denzel Washington look like puppy dog in Training Day. Harvey Keitel is a great actor worthy of a nomination at least for his role in this movie. This is a dark look into the mind of a corrupt man hiding behind a badge. Most directors are afraid to make movies that involve taboo subjects. Its nice to see poeple make movies that don't have happy endings. If you like movies that are emotional and chaulk full of shocking scenes then this is for you.
Rating:
Summary: The Moaning Man
Review: Only in Clint Eastwood's world will you find redemption caught up in a hail of bullets and vigilante violence but here Abel Ferrara gives us a true rendition of sheer manic salvation that in intertwined with hate, wrongfulness, drugs, paranoia, rape, gambling and police corruption. Harvey Keitel's performance as a crooked cop hanging together by a withering thread is second to none for its type. You have not seen anything like it before nor will you ever again. It is a role he was born to play and a role he will be remembered for. No, Keitel will not be remembered for his part in Reservoir Dogs or Taxi Driver... he will be recalled as that Brooklyn cop on the edge of a bottomless pit of insanity in Bad Lieutenant. Ferrara has somehow managed to make a film that is so shocking and twisted and yet at the same time a powerhouse of moral values that it ascends its exploitation material by the time the closing credits begin to roll. From the opening scene Keitel is out and about involving himself in every kind of debauchery from an assortment of drugs and alcohol to performing himself in front of a very scared group of teens that he has just pulled over in their "borrowed" car for having a broken taillight. In another scene he visits the location of a crime and does little more than just look at the victim's breasts. As pounds of crack cocaine fall from under his vest in front of his fellow detectives, Keitel is on a losing streak from start to finish. When coupled with his exhausting gambling debt that triples with every baseball fixture that fails him you know that it just can not get much worse... but somehow Ferrara manages to do just that and the many levels Keitel falls too are beyond imagination. The premise is horrific. As a crooked cop he must investigate the case of a raped nun who refuses to tell the police about her violent, and graphic, assault or to identify the perpetrators. She says that she forgives them but Keitel can not connect with this or understand it. He looses sleep over it and continues on his personal decent into hell. As his world is torn about him - a self-inflicted venture with no one else to blame for it but himself - Keitel can only find a last glimmer of hope in the resolve of the nun's case. This is cinema at its most harrowing and psychological. You can not fault Keitel's performance here for a moment. This is the kind of film that you do not feel good about watching but you are damn glad that you did. Critics tout this as one of the best Tour-de-force movies ever.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: Harvey Keitel gives a searing performance as the Lieutenant, a thoroughly corrupted and evil human being who abuses his power, himself, and those around him in equal measure. He clearly loathes what he has become but knows no other way to be. As the film opens, he appears to be the final stages of an extended suicide by lifestyle-he is constantly ingesting drugs and increasing the amount of his losing bet on the World Series to underworld thugs who are fully prepared to kill him for welshing on his gambling debts. When a raped nun refuses to reveal the identity of her attackers because she has forgiven them, the Lieutenant, a very lapsed Catholic, is stunned by this act of absolution and begins to long for some form of redemption for himself. This powerful film is essentially plotless. We are forced to wallow in the Lieutenant's degrading world; many scenes that detail his transgressions go on longer than they would in most films. But all of this is presented in service of the Lieutenant's final act, a bid to be worthy of forgiveness that is provocative and faithful to his character. This is one of the most interesting and serious films on the subject of spiritual salvation that I have ever seen.
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