Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Bad Lieutenant
1992
***
Director: Abel Ferrara
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Frankie Thorn, Paul Hipp, Victor Argo, Paul Calderone

Harvey Keitel gives a strong performance as a thoroughly decadent cop whose facade begins to crack when he investigates the rape of a nun. The story, which is full of Catholic imagery, is mostly a distraction from its degenerate protagonist, who drinks, snorts and wanks for 90 minutes. Ferrara attempts to create something slightly different, but the finished film delivers shock value rather than poignancy. Remade as The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009).