Review of Bad Lieutenant (1992) by Tuomas U — 08 Apr 2008

Bad Lieutenant is mostly seen as a showcase of Harvey Keitel's acting skills, but it's so much more. The corrupt cop's fall and attempt at redemption (the superficially "thin" storyline in its entirety) is given very gritty realism, but at the same time the main character and the story are longing for morality, a meaning to all the madness. This is done in a very believable and touching way, thanks to both Keitel and the nihilistic settings. There is indeed something to be learned from everything, although the picture fails to find a morally unambiguous solution. But how could it possibly have found one? The story's realism, plausibility and purpose are something that IMO separates it from for example Requiem for a Dream, and make it worth watching time and time again despite its hard and disturbing subject matter.

Several morally rotten themes are touched through the main character's experiences: crooked cops, drugs, sports gambling and its dodgy side effects, the two-faced Catholic church. The finale is pure genius, with the Bad Lieutenant's story coming to end in front of an ad for Trump Plaza (of all places) involving gambling and high profile boxing (with the pictured athlete appearing to be Evander Holyfield - of all people). Highlighting the contrast between the shiny front and the ugly flip sides of gambling industry seems the perfect way to end the film. People stop to watch, but after Keitel's car is taken away, I assume it's business as usual.