Bad Lieutenant (DVD)

Harvey Keitel began his career as the leading actor in Martin Scorsese’s “Who’s that knocking at my door?” (1967). Over the next few years Keitel appeared alongside Robert DeNiro in Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” (1973) and “Taxi Driver” (1976). The leading actor with immense acting talent was transformed to a supporting actor category in the subsequent years of his acting career. The 90s was the period where Keitel reinvented himself in trademark supporting roles in movies such as “Bugsy” (1991), “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), “Thelma & Louise” (1991), and "Pulp Fiction” (1994). Although these movies were hugely successful, Keitel has always remained an underrated and underappreciated gem in Hollywood.


Keitel stars in Abel Ferrara’s “The Bad Lieutenant (1992)” as a nameless corrupt cop who is a drug addict as well as a gambler who lost a big bet in a baseball league match. He finds solace in drugs and in his drug addict friends. In this unforgettable film, we are given glimpses of a highly complex character - one that can be sexually deviant and dishonest but also one that can be noble.


The pace of plot starts somewhat slow, until a young nun is raped brutally by two teenage guys. Instead of representing an investigative journey through the eyes of a main protagonist detective, the director presents a deeply flawed protagonist whose religious beliefs are thrown into a crisis by this incident. The nun played by Frankie Torn becomes the moral pivot for Keitel’s character. In three brief but powerful scenes, the character of the nun exposes and reveals much about the capacity of human beings to do good and evil.


Being a conflicted catholic, the detective is forced to examine the true meaning of god and forgiveness. This internal conflict makes him want to seek justice for the nun and leads to the unexpected climax.


Of course, Keitel is the focal point of this movie. In probably one of the most controversial and shocking scenes in the movie, Keitel’s character stops two Jersey girls for a broken tail light. He starts questioning them about their license and registration. The girls admit that they do not have a license and that they have taken the car without their parents being aware of it. Realizing that he can use the situation to his advantage, he threatens to take them in and call their parents. Obviously, the girls are anxious to avoid this outcome. The detective then cunningly offers them an alternative. Instead of giving them a ticket, he asks one girl to take down her pants. He then asks the second girl to simulate oral sex. While all of this is happening, the detective masturbates in front of the two girls.


The director reveals in the extras that there the script segment for this scene was very brief. All that was written was that the detective will force the girls into humiliating sexual acts. Harvey Keitel was given a free rein to improvise and respond without any specific direction. The resulting shot is realistic, gritty and very uncomfortable to view.


The extras also reveal that the movie had a very slim script and there was a lot of room for improvisation for the actors during the shoot. The opening scene shows the detective dropping his two young sons to school. The scene seems to show that his is a very typical suburban upper middle class family. However, after the scene there is no reference to his family or marriage or kids in the entire movie.


At some points it feels like the story has no clear direction. I understand that the director’s intention is to create a different kind of movie – one that is less structured perhaps and more realistic. In several scenes, the camera work has a hand-held quality to it. The nightclub scene is especially memorable in this aspect – there is few seconds of total darkness and then we only see flashes of Keitel’s face as he wade through the crowds. The director clearly articulates his thoughts on a conflicted corrupt cop trying to bring the criminals to justice.


Video
Lions Gate has included a satisfying anamorphic transfer with an aspect ratio of 1:78.1.The movie is shot in a documentary style with no bright colors except in a church. There is lot of grain present with deliberate high use of blacks and muted colors. The initial shots are very sharp with subsequent shots getting bit softer at times. The color palate truly gives this movie a gritty look as intended by the director.


Audio
We get a 5.1 Dolby Digital track for this release. Mostly the movie is front-channel driven. There are few scenes where rear channels kick in.


Extras
An audio commentary with Director Abel Ferrara and Director of Photography Ken Kelsch is included in this special edition.


Also included is a retrospective documentary featuring cast and crew. However, there is no interview with Harvey Keitel. The documentary is divided into three segments – pre-production, script, and post-production.


Parting thoughts
Harvey Kietel gives a powerful performance in depicting a corrupt cop. This movie is sandwiched between his four most successful films – “Thelma & Louise (1991),” “Bugsy (1991),” “Reservoir Dogs (1992),” and “Pulp Fiction (1994).” After seeing Keitel mainly in supporting roles, I was pleasantly surprised to see his acting talent on display in a leading role. I cannot understand how an actor of such amazing skills is always seen in a supporting actor role. Harvey Keitel shines in every scene in the movie. He is in total control of his acting acumen even when the script flounders. The persona of a corrupt cop played by Harvey Keitel motivated other actors notably the character played by Denzel Washington in “Training Day”.  The movie is not a must see but for fans of Keitel, this movie showcases one of his best performances.


Final Rating
Video = 6/10
Audio = 5/10
Extras = 5/10
Film Value = 7/10