Bad Lieutenant
Directed by Abel Ferrara
Starring Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Paul Calderon
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: July 28, 2009

When it was first released in 1992 Bad Lieutenant was greeted with praise and revulsion, accolades, and protest, nearly everywhere it played. The NC-17 rating bestowed upon it by the Motion Picture Association of America signified that this movie would not be holding anything back and whoever dared to venture into cinemas or into the local video stores (except Blockbuster, which no doubt probably carried a cut down R-rated version) would be in for a soul and brain-scarring experience few films can deliver. To this day it remains one of the seminal films in the independent film revolution of the 1990’s and the high water mark in the careers of director Abel Ferrera and star Harvey Keitel. It defied every conceivable notion of crime drama and character study and gave us a front row seat. For me it’s difficult to put my feelings about the movie into words. A description of the plot of Bad Lieutenant would be moot because this film is not about its plot. We’re treated to a relentless look into the festering wound of a soul that is its title character, and much like an auto accident it’s difficult to look away even when we want to, or think we should.