Rating: 
Summary: A Disturbingly Realistic Film!!!
Review: 'Bad Lieutenant' is less about guilt than it is about redemption. Harvey Keitel gives a gutsy performance as the Lt., he bravely delves into the complicated mind of this disgusting character. An admirable actor/director teaming, Abel Ferrara directs with surefire tempo and adds a cinema verite style to the film. The film is a slow descent into the vowels of hell, as we see the Lt. degrede himself in various ways; doing or selling the drugs he confiscates, drinking vodka like it were water, sleeping around with women, gambling dangerously. He is a very bad man, but as he gets a rape case involving a nun, he starts to question his existence and even has a spiritual experience. A disturbingly graphic film that remains one of the sleaziest films ever made, but also a brave film that is undeniably gripping if not a bit too uncomfortable. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film an 8!
Rating:
Summary: Let Me See Your Mouth
Review: A brave look at a man who has every vice in the book. Keitel gives a balls to the walls performance. This is a movie where you have to read the character, try to get inside his emotional chaos. Everything is not spelled out for you. The only boost this movie could have used was in the form of a musical score. Scenes with a score could have given a feel of the Lt.s grit. DVD transfer is pretty good. A good acquisition if you like art.
Rating: 
Summary: A great movie that should be given its due.
Review: A friend of mine once recommended me the "Bad Lieutenant" and raved how great it was and how I had to see it. After seeing the film, I realized why the "Bad Lieutenant" is such a cult classic. You would think that Keitel's character would be a good cop who does the right thing. Instead you get a corrupt junkie cop who is damned from the very beginning and knows it. The scene where a delusional Keitel sees Jesus is the most intense emotional performance I have seen since De Niro's jail scene in Raging Bull. Abel Ferrara thankfully resisted any temptations to glamorize Keitel's drug use because it would have made his downward spiral less real and tragic. This is not an easy movie to stomach. It provokes so many conflicting emotions about the character because you hate the cop for being so evil. On the other hand, you want to understand why he does what he does, because deep down, you want him to be saved even though he is too late. I can't believe Keitel wasn't even nominated for an Oscar because his performance in this film is the best of the decade. Keitel and Ferrara took a big chance on the "Bad Lieutenant" but those two seem to create their best work when they do.
Rating:
Summary: A great movie that should be given its due.
Review: A friend of mine once recommended me the "Bad Lieutenant" and raved how great it was and how I had to see it. After seeing the film, I realized why the "Bad Lieutenant" is such a cult classic. You would think that Keitel's character would be a good cop who does the right thing. Instead you get a corrupt junkie cop who is damned from the very beginning and knows it. The scene where a delusional Keitel sees Jesus is the most intense emotional performance I have seen since De Niro's jail scene in Raging Bull. Abel Ferrara thankfully resisted any temptations to glamorize Keitel's drug use because it would have made his downward spiral less real and tragic. This is not an easy movie to stomach. It provokes so many conflicting emotions about the character because you hate the cop for being so evil. On the other hand, you want to understand why he does what he does, because deep down, you want him to be saved even though he is too late. I can't believe Keitel wasn't even nominated for an Oscar because his performance in this film is the best of the decade. Keitel and Ferrara took a big chance on the "Bad Lieutenant" but those two seem to create their best work when they do.
Rating:
Summary: BAD LIEUTENANT-Excellent
Review: Abel Ferrara created his best and most consistent work with 'Bad Lieutenant'. His over the top handling of a junkie, corrupt lieutenant is unlike anything you will ever see. Harvey Keitel's performance is not only grittily realistic but also emotional but not without humour. A recommendation of the highest order.
Rating:
Summary: An unflinching, uncompromising look at self-destruction.
Review: Abel Ferrara has never been the type of director whose films arouse cries of 'wow' from his audience. He is a bland director, favoring realism over spectacle. And while many directors fail in their attempt to reach their audience by not creating the appropriate 'world' for their characters to interact in, Ferrara always seems to make us connect with his characters. Even though we may not want to in the first place. What Ferrara lacks in style, he makes up for in sheer bravery. 'Bad Lieutenant' is his finest film since 'Ms. 45' and his best overall. Following a corrupt (to say the very least) cop through his last few days on earth, Ferrara manages to create a film that's both harrowing and challenging. It is also a movie that's as much about religion and the saving of one's own soul as it is about drug addiction and the corruption of power. The 'bad lieutenant' is never given a name. Who he is is not important. It's what he has become that matters. He is a gambler, a thief, a guilt-ridden Catholic, and a drug-addict. He is seen snorting cocaine outside his children's school, drinking in church, trying to steal drugs from the car of a recently murdered dealer, and even pocketing money from two young men who recently robbed a convienant store. The turning point of his life comes when he begins to investigate the brutal rape of a young nun. Sounds like a fun film, huh? Indeed this is a shocking movie, one which leaves an aftertaste at the base of your throat that you will not get rid of for days and days, but at it's center is a shred of hope, not much, but you feel it kicking and screaming there, waiting for someone to hear it. Harvey Keitel gives the performance of his career and one of the greatest film performances of the past twenty years. He bares his body (marking the first appearence of Harvey Jr.) and soul, unafraid of the material, embarrassing himself for the story. One of the true signs of a great actor is the lack of self-preservation. Few actors would allow themselves to be seen this way, but Keitel lays himself out there without any fear or hesitance. His performance is remarkable in every way. This is a film that is powerful and disturbing and not to be embraced frivolously. It's strength and message will be felt for days after viewing. One of the best films of the 1990s.
Rating:
Summary: interesting variation on a not so typical cop scenario...
Review: Abel Ferrara's 'Bad Lieutenant' would have to be one of the most underrated films of the 90's. Not only is it quite daring in approach and subject matter but in it's uncompromising potrayal of a depraved individual. This particular character isn't exactly the epitome of a decent human being but mixed feelings towards him are conjured up from the viewer. Critics have slammed this movie for being 'over the top' and lacking a basic narrative drive. This is a fair assessment of the film but it's supposed to be a study of an empty spirt, not a person with depth or conviction. The absence of narrative perfectly complements the chaotic nature of his lifestyle and it's repurcussions on the human psyche. Ferrara's unconventional take on such a premise is what truly renders this film a memorable piece of art. An absolute must see.
Rating: 
Summary: "Bad Lieutenant" Review
Review: Abel Ferrera's controversial 1992 film about a self-destructive police lieutenant is not for everyone. Keitel gives a solid performance as the title character, an obsessive crooked cop who is called into investigate the sexual assault of a nun. Ferrera loads the film with shocking images that will offend sensitive viewers but unfortunately, the movie falls a little short in the storytelling department. The movie never really steps out of the boundary of its basic premise which is about a man trapped in his own personal demons. While often compared to Scorsese's "Taxi Driver", it plays out more like Larry Clark's "Kids". It is a raw and realistic portrait of a character that could very well have been pulled out of today's headlines.
Rating: 
Summary: Abomination of all that is holy!
Review: Although this is an older movie, I felt compelled to write a review after I recently saw it. Besides the fact that this movie has no redeeming moral values at all, it is also utterly depressing. After watching this I wondered what the actual point of this movie is. It seems like the director is trying to make some profound statement about the human condition, but I fail to fully understand his message. If you really want to see a classic movie dealing w/ corrupt cops then go rent Serpico. It made me sick to think that there probably are morally unjust cops like Harvey Keitel's character.Do yourself a favor and dodge this absolutely stagnant garbage. I would easily watch Shaq-Fu continuously, than suffer through this film again. If you decide to disregard my words and rent this movie, then make sure you bathe yourself in holy water after it's over.
Rating:
Summary: Keitel at his best
Review: An amazing protrayal of a degenerate cop who must come to terms with his own devils. One of Keitel's best performaces, it is graphic, shocking and disturbing at times. A must see for Keitel or Ferrara fans. The NC-17 version is a must as well.
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