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Bad Lieutenant (1992, Abel Ferrara)

Posted on 16 January 2012 | Leave a comment

Harvey Keitel’s performance in Bad Lieutenant reminds me of a supporting actor in a stage play who keeps fidgeting to get the audience’s attention. I wonder if Keitel passes out copies of the DVD to his neocon buddies these days.

I have seen the film before, back when I turned eighteen and went through about three days of NC-17 movies… only to learn most of them were pretty lousy and sensationalist.

Bad Lieutenant hasn’t improved in the last fourteen years.

Ferrera’s filmmaking approach here is Cassavetes-lite. It’s like Cassavetes, only with the dialogue cut (Lieutenant‘s dialogue is frequently absurd). Keitel’s delivery of those lines–alongside actors like co-writer Zoë Lund and Phil Neilson–occasionally make the film seem like a twisted attempt at camp.

Of course, it’s not camp. If the three hundred thousand Jesus icons (not to mention the shot of a wailing Jesus on the cross) don’t clue you in, it’s about Catholic redemption.

What’s so funny about the film is how ludicrous the simple parts get. The police investigation makes absolutely no sense (the crime isn’t investigated for three days, even though the cops and, presumably, the whole world know about it).

The film opens with an unintentionally comedic moment–foul-mouthed Keitel taking his kids to school–which at least suggests the film is going to be somewhat engaging. Instead, it meanders through its run time. Keitel’s the whole (bad) show.

Ken Kelsch’s cinematography’s good.

For all the noise, I almost fell asleep.

CREDITS

Directed by Abel Ferrara; written by Victor Argo, Paul Calderon, Ferrara and Zoë Lund; director of photography, Ken Kelsch; edited by Anthony Redman; music by Joe Delia; produced by Mary Kane and Edward R. Pressman; released by Aries Films.

Starring Harvey Keitel (The Lieutenant), Victor Argo (Beat Cop), Zoë Lund (Zoe), Vincent Laresca (J.C.), Frankie Thorn (The Nun), Fernando Véléz (Julio), Joseph Micheal Cruz (Paulo), Paul Hipp (Jesus), Frank Adonis (Large), Anthony Ruggiero (Lite), Victoria Bastel (Bowtay), Paul Calderon (Cop #1), Leonard L. Thomas (Cop #2), Peggy Gormley (Lieutenant’s wife), Stella Keitel (Lieutenant’s daughter), Brian McElroy (Lieutenant’s son) and Frankie Acciato (Lieutenant’s son).

Bad Lieutenant series:

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans (2009, Werner Herzog)

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Posted in 1992, Aries Films, Color, Crime, Drama, English, Spanish, USA

Tagged Abel Ferrara, Anthony Redman, Anthony Ruggiero, Brian McElroy, Edward R. Pressman, Fernando Véléz, Frank Adonis, Frankie Acciato, Frankie Thorn, Harvey Keitel, Joe Delia, Joseph Micheal Cruz, Ken Kelsch, Leonard L. Thomas, Mary Kane, Paul Calderon, Paul Hipp, Peggy Gormley, Stella Keitel, Victor Argo, Victoria Bastel, Vincent Laresca, Zoë Lund

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans (2009, Werner Herzog)

Posted on 1 January 2010 | Leave a comment

At some point during this response, I’m going to say nice things about Eva Mendes. Just a warning.

I used to hate on CG, starting in around 1996 and ending about six years later, when I just gave up caring. It wasn’t ever going to stop and it had gotten to a point where there was good CG (Star Trek is a fine example). I rail against digital video a lot too. I think it’s now, with Port of Call New Orleans, gotten to the point where I need to give up that fight too.

It’s an ugly looking film. It looks cheap, it looks amateurish. There’s absolutely nothing scenic to its setting, nothing picturesque. It’s not even visually horrific in the way other post-Katrina stories are done. It’s simply disinterested.

It’s also brilliant. Herzog’s made maybe the finest American cop movie a German’s ever made, but I’m sure having William Finkelstein (veteran of many a fine cop show) write it helps. Nicolas Cage turns in an amazing performance, an irredeemable bad guy surrounded by worse guys, and shows why he’s such a waste most of the time.

It’s a shame he doesn’t get these good of scripts more often.

The supporting cast is excellent, particularly Val Kilmer and Mendes. Kilmer isn’t in it much but he’s great when he is present, but Mendes is always around. The quality of her performance’s shocking. Brad Dourif’s great. Xzibit and Jennifer Coolidge too. Not enough Fairuza Balk though.

It’s amazing stuff.

CREDITS

Directed by Werner Herzog; screenplay by William M. Finkelstein, based on a film written by Victor Argo, Paul Calderon, Abel Ferrera and Zoë Lund; director of photography, Peter Zeitlinger; edited by Joe Bini; music by Mark Isham; production designer, Toby Corbett; produced by Stephen Belafonte, Nicolas Cage, Randall Emmett, Alan Polsky, Gabe Polsky, Edward R. Pressman and John Thompson; released by First Look Pictures.

Starring Nicolas Cage (Terence McDonagh), Val Kilmer (Stevie Pruit), Eva Mendes (Frankie Donnenfeld), Jennifer Coolidge (Genevieve), Fairuza Balk (Heidi), Brad Dourif (Ned Schoenholtz), Michael Shannon (Mundt), Shawn Hatosy (Armand Benoit), Denzel Whitaker (Daryl), Shea Whigham (Justin), Xzibit (Big Fate), Katie Chonacas (Tina), Tom Bower (Pat McDonough), Irma P. Hall (Binnie Rogers) and Vondie Curtis-Hall (James Brasser).