This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

I really wasn't expecting too much from 'Bad Lieutenant' but the experience it provided was way more than I had contemplated. As the title suggests - the lieutenant is very bad indeed. However I expected a degree of cheesiness and quips - instead we are shown a centralized and harrowing insight into addiction and the pain and depravity that comes with it. The drug taking scenes are quite shocking and unforgettable. There is also a scene where the lieutenant stops two young girls in a car that is so intense and unexpected it's truly one of the most memorable scenes I have ever witnessed on film. At the heart of it all is Harvey Keitel - with what must be one of the greatest acting performances of all time. He absolutely absorbs the role of a man who was weak enough to give into all of the temptations around him. He does things he shouldn't. He doesn't care about anyone around him. He is absolutely selfish, corrupt and completely past caring. He is a man on self destruct mode. Keitel pulls off every scene so convincingly that he is either a real life maniac or an actor of the very highest quality. Some people will not enjoy this because it does lack any storyline outside of Keitel's character and there is no background on him - even his name! However the movie is about him in the moment he is in - it's a focus on a man completely absorbed by addiction who wants to be on anything he can, anywhere he has to - to get a release outside of his own mind. Ultimately it's a very dark and disturbing story of a man in a very dark place. And quite unforgettable.

Most people will dismiss this as one of the worst movies they've seen. Mainly because the movie has an amoral main character and because the movie isn't entertaining and mostly uncomfortable to watch. But with the subject being mainly corruption and the theme redemption with an unlikeable character I find it understandable. I myself love this movie since I am into heavy stuff that makes me think and fill me with dread. This movie manages both if you ask me. I feel it is such a strong movie with some existential philosophy about a corrupt man starting to feel guilt about his life. Leading to his quest for redemption. The story plays out well, showing our main character's irresponsible ways ranging from gambling, drug abuse, taking bribes to harassing young women. I think it is such a tragic movie. The director certainly did a great job if you ask me, considering the hard subject he did his job quite thoughtfully making the story and plot convincing. Leading to a movie in my opinion one of the best tragedies ever put on film.Now Harvey Keitel is an actor I have the utmost respect for. I have yet to see a bad movie he has been in. He often plays roles that are hard to play and where most actors tend to slip a Little in playing their characters, I think Harvey often does his job strongly and convincingly. I imagine if another actor tried to do what Harvey did in this movie many actors would have made the character laughable instead of uncomfortable, pitiful and convincing. He is a subtle actor even in his most outrageous roles, also quite graceful. This movie is no exception in his acting. I could relate to his character, even though he was such an amoral character with very few redeeming qualities. I only feel this way to a few actors and just to name a few like Gary Oldman, Denzel Washington, Al Pacino and Michael Caine (I didn't write them all since it isn't about them). So yes, I am very fond of Harvey Keitel. He is a rare talent that doesn't get much recognition. But he is a professional and he keeps his life private which I respect even more.This is a thought provoking movie where the audience has to take part in the Lieutenant's life which is a corrupt life. It has a simple plot in which the Lieutenant is trying to find the rapists of a nun and find redemption. The story is good in which it perfectly shows how corrupt our Lieutenant is and it is full of subtleties where the Lieutenant even though harsh and corrupt, hides a good man that went wrong ways with wrong decisions. Oh and the existential part? The lieutenant is looking for redemption and try to do one good thing in order to forgive himself, what can be more existential than that? Trying to find meaning to his life which he has been wasting a lot. What a waste his life was by the way. After each time I watch the movie I begin to feel grateful for my dull life, because although it is dull I haven't sunken as deep as the Lieutenant. So in my opinion this is a movie that has to be watched again and again. Although it doesn't fall into everyone's taste. It is a hard movie to watch after all.

This is a great character study of a man sinking to the depths of depravity, being utterly corrupted by power - but no matter how low he goes, keeping faith that the redemptive power of religion can represent his salvation... It's raw and shocking, but heavy on symbolism and atmosphere, and strangely transformative... It's interesting to think about whether a life full of corruption can be redeemed by ignoring one's natural instincts in order to perform one good deed?Here is my favourite Harvey Keitel performance... He's played his fair share of oddballs on the margins of society who are searching for meaning to their existence... but in my opinion, never more effectively than in this film.

Bad Lieutenant would be one of Abel Ferrara's most powerful movies and best too. It's actually in another class, outside all his other flicks, which always powerfully shock as in the violence, especially his early deals. The shock matter of his films, is something you don't estimate, and this is one of his best examples, seen in the visual proof. Here's a sad tale about a lonely detective, lonely as inside himself, who's really hit rock bottom, with all the ugliness and crap around. He's kind of like the Travis Bickle character, but this one flies in a different direction, doing much more bad than good, where his good and justful deed near the end is something you don't expect, nor is his fate. This background description, is all inferred by the way he casually goes about his business through the movie, doing one unlawful thing, after another, one that's truly despicable, if not downright sick, when propositioning two young girls, into a lewd act, in exchange for letting them off the hook, for sneaking Daddy's car out. The heart of the story, amongst this other stuff, has Keitel, investigating the rape of a nun and the deformation of a church, that impels him to make what's wrong right, if claim a little bit of redemption. How the nun forgiving of these two young rapists, truly, like that proposition scene made me sick. Keitel fills a most challenging role, where he must take full bravado here, as well as a lot of bloody credit, in one of the most morbid films you'll ever see, one that totally stands alone. He's fantastic, and you got to take your hat off to him. Keitel's heroin addicted mistress is good too, where Harvey doesn't mind a ménage de trois, or taking his shirt off, and moaning pathetically to a song, in the film's funniest if guiltiest moment from the viewer's side. Although loosely remade 17 years later, if you want to be shocked, opt for this one, where for church people, whatever, as a forewarning, opt to watch another flick, may'be even the other Bad Lieutenant. The whole unhurried flow of the movie, I must say, moves beautifully through it's 93 minutes, where to this aspect, you can either like it or lump it. There's almost a brilliance in the combining of all the unlawful scenes, one after the other, where that avenging plot carries a small couple of other scenes, apart from some family ones, and some with his mate cop, warning him on the all too real consequences he'll pay, thanks to another vice. Again, I must say this film is unique, as check out why the end scrolling credits playing over a screen, without sound. A must for you sickie Ferrara fans. Mr Willing and able to shock Ferrara, you've come through again.