Driven by a career best performance by the legendary Harvey Keitel as the titular Lieutenant, Abel Ferrara’s unfiltered tale of self-destruction, guilt, forgiveness and redemption shocked audiences and critics alike with its uncompromising depiction of crime in New York’s seedy underbelly. In a career full of provocative filmmaking, the notorious Bad Lieutenant stands alone as Ferrara’s most incendiary and certainly his finest piece of work. For twenty years, he has ruled the streets – gambling, stealing, using, killing. A corrupt, drug-addicted New York City cop spirals deeper into vice while investigating the brutal assault of a young nun. As the case forces him to confront his own sins, he walks the line of self-destruction and the elusive promise of redemption.
