When Harvey Keitel appeared naked in this movie I remembered, way back in the corner of my mind somewhere, that this movie was on my ongoing list of "disturbing movies" I wanted to watch somewhere about age 11-23.
I dunno man. I was disturbed and enraged and I wanted movies that supported my bleak view and showed our immoral world. I never saw Bad Lieutenant, and forgot about it after I got married and was arguably "happy".
I actually just watched Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, and it inspired me to watch this. Port of Call is thematically similar in that it's about a corrupt cop who does drugs, and this is too. I guess that's why the same name? Bad call in my opinion, and how was there not a lawsuit? Yes, they are different enough especially at the end of the movie, but these really are basically for all intents and purposes the same film.
This movie starts with Keitel snorting coke after dropping a kid off, and it goes from there. He's thoroughly corrupt, he doesn't appear to give a shit when a nun is raped with a crucifix, he makes two pretty teen girls get him off when they have a busted taillight.
This movie is all sorts of "off the rocker" and it epitomizes the pretty small genre of "bad cop" movies. They didn't really make too many of these did they? And the genre is kinda gone. I wonder why?
In the end, Bad Lieutenant makes no statements about anything that happens. It's not out to make a point, though Keitel does solve the nun rape and prove himself half decent. The movie ends as it began: bleak, and we're left to meditate on the meaning.
I didn't love this, but I didn't hate it. It's well acted, it's dark, and it's different. Thoroughly unlikable heroes are not seen enough. It was an interacting foray. I'll give it 3.5 stars.
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