Bad Lieutenant (1992) Aries Films/Drama-Thriller RT: 96 minutes Rated NC-17 (sexual violence, strong sexual situations and dialogue, graphic drug use, pervasive bad language) Director: Abel Ferrara Screenplay: Zoe Lund and Abel Ferrara Music: Joe Delia Cinematography: Ken Kelsch Release date: January 15, 1993 (Philadelphia, PA) Cast: Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Paul Calderone, Leonard Thomas, Robin Burrows, Frankie Thorn, Victoria Bastel, Paul Hipp, Eddie Daniels, Bianca Hunter, Zoe Lund, Vincent Laresca, Fernando Velez, Joseph Michael Cruz, Frank Adonis, Anthony Ruggiero. Box Office: $2M (US)
Rating: ****
In Abel Ferrara’s entire body of work, none of his films are as divisive as Bad Lieutenant, a drama of uncompromising honesty about its main character’s total absence of humanity or anything even remotely resembling common decency. Some say it’s a brilliant character study; others call it vile and dirty. Don’t they realize that “vile and dirty” is precisely the point of Bad Lieutenant? It’s about a man with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He’s so filled with self-loathing and rage, it’s a wonder he hasn’t already imploded.
Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs) plays the bad lieutenant of the title, a character not given a name because that would imply something about him is still human. That’s all gone. What’s left is a shell of a man on the verge of total self-destruction. Let’s call him LT. He spends his days flouting the law he’s supposed to uphold and his nights in a haze of booze, drugs and illicit sex with hookers. He provides dealers with stolen drugs in exchange for a cut of the profits. At the scene of a grocery store stick-up, he takes the money off the thieves and pockets it in full view of the owner’s family.
A compulsive gambler, he’s up to his chin in debt to his bookie. It keeps growing because he keeps doubling his bets on the losing team of the National League Championship Series. In one truly shocking episode, he pulls over two teenage girls from Jersey driving their father’s car without a license and without permission. Instead of arresting them, he does something incredibly gross and reprehensible (not to mention illegal). To call LT a dirty cop would be a vast understatement.
The movie’s central theme is redemption. LT sees a chance at it when a nun (Thorn) is beaten and raped in her church. He’s all set to deliver justice in a style befitting Charles Bronson when he gets something of a shock to his system. The good sister knows her rapists, but refuses to name them because she’s already forgiven them. He doesn’t get it. How can she forgive them for such a heinous crime? HOWEVER, if she can forgive her rapists, maybe there’s a chance for him. As the film progresses, guilt consumes him to the point where he finds himself screaming at a vision of Christ.
Given all the degradation in which he swims, LT is easily Keitel’s boldest performance to date. I’ve seen Bad Lieutenant a few times and still can’t believe the depths to which his character sinks. The way he plunges the depths of what’s left of his character’s soul is beyond amazing. This is an individual not comfortable in his own skin. He’s equally uncomfortable playing at leading a normal middle class existence with a family and home in the suburbs. He can barely stand his own kids. When they show affection, he doesn’t even react. He sleeps on the couch indicating that intimacy with his wife is a thing of the past. His family has adjusted to his madness accordingly. As the movie progresses, he spends less and less time there. It’s the final leg of his journey to self-annihilation.
Catholicism is another important theme of Bad Lieutenant. Like Scorsese, Ferrara makes frequent and effective use of religious iconography. It’s an indicator of Catholic guilt on LT’s part. Deep down, he feels bad for his sins and wishes to atone, but isn’t sure it he even deserves it. He’s what you call a lapsed Catholic, a VERY lapsed Catholic. He indulges in every vice on the planet yet he’s still outraged about a nun getting raped in a church. He’s a complex character to say the least.
Ferrara, with the valuable assistance of cinematographer Ken Kelsch, pulls you right into the sewer with its title character. It’s a raw and gritty piece that lays bare what’s left of its main character’s soul. Shot non-intrusively on grainy film stock, it allows the viewer to observe everything objectively. At the same time, it brings the viewer too close to a subject most wouldn’t touch with a 100-foot pole.
You are going to want a hot shower after watching Bad Lieutenant. It’s not an easy film to watch. The pain of watching LT hit rock bottom is palpable as is the sleaze he wallows in. For me, the experience was enhanced by seeing it at a small Center City movie house that specialized in non-mainstream films. It wasn’t the cleanest theater in the world nor the most technologically advanced. It just felt right. Funny, since nothing that happens in Bad Lieutenant is even close to right. If you can handle it, it’s one of Ferrara’s best movies.
