Review of Bad Lieutenant (1992) by Aaron N — 24 Aug 2009

Julio: [after giving the Lieutenant drugs] Shit's gonna kill you, man!

The Lieutenant: What the fuck are you? A drug counselor... or a drug dealer? If you don't deal your own product, what kind of businessman are you?

A slow boiling crime drama about a corrupt New York police detective dealing with a drug problem, a gambling problem, and a rape case that may bring to light his own inner demons. Its a tough watch, but Harvey Keitel is absolutely terrific in the role.

Keitel stars as "The Lieutenant," a real bad man. He does just about every drug, abuses his privileges as a police officer, is depending on a certain logic involving the baseball finals for his gambling habits, and has just got himself a new case.

Beat Cop: I told you once before that this guy will come by your house and blow up your house up with your wife and kids and everybody in it. You know that, right?

The Lieutenant: Good, good. I'll give him an extra ten grand for his trouble. I hate that fucking house.

The case in question involves the violent rape of a nun, which brings the Lieutenant's rejection of his Catholic upbringing to light. This begins a rapid spiral downward, with the Lieutenant indulging in more and more sins against himself, as he deals with the problems of his life.

This film has really brought to light how much I like Harvey Keitel as an actor. He is completely absorbed into this role. This is a dark dark character who has pushed himself into an abyss of drugs, sex, and violence, where he only survives by continuing his process. As the film progresses Keitel somehow manages to show what happens when he attempts to exit the abyss. There is a scene, an extended monologue of sorts, involving his collapse and hallucination in a church, which must last for nearly ten minutes, and it is completely raw and scary good.

As a whole, I appreciated what was happening in this film. It was made in 1993, but it seems like it has come right out of the 70s, from the way the grittiness of the direction is handled. I can't imagine what a more polished version of this film would be like, however, inexplicably, a remake with Nic Cage and director Werner Herzog is on the way, so I guess I'll know then.

A very good performance goes a long way for this rough film.

The Nun: [about her attackers] I have forgiven them.

The Lieutenant: But do you have the right? You're not the only woman in the world. You're not even the only nun. Your forgiveness will leave blood in its wake. What if these guys do something like this again? To other women, other virgins? Old women who die from the shock? Do you have the right to forgive them? Can you bear the burden, sister?