Bad Lieutenant [Special Edition]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

If police lieutenant Harvey Keitel's life could get any more sordid, he could probably sell tickets. The least of his vices is gambling, which has gotten him in Dutch with the mob. He abuses his body with drugs and his soul with hookers, and now he's turned to exploiting teenage girls for sex. Keitel is forced to reassess his life while investigating the rape of a nun. Director Abel Ferrara co-wrote the screenplay with Zoe Lund, who as Zoe Tamerlis starred in Ferrara's cult classic Ms. 45. A soundtrack tune by rapper Schoolly D, which was included in the initial release of Bad Lieutenant, featured a sample from Led Zeppelin which was used without permission; the song has since been excised from the soundtrack. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • Audio Commentary with Director Abel Ferrara and Director of Photography Ken Kelsch
  • New Retrospective Documentary Featuring Exclusive Interviews with the Cast and Crew
  • cc

AWARDS

• Independent Spirit Awards

•     Won Best Actor - 1992 (Harvey Keitel)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1992 (Abel Ferrara)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1992

• Telluride Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 1992

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Harvey Keitel - Lieutenant
       Frankie Thorn - Nun
       Zoe Tamerlis - Zoe
       Anthony Ruggiero - Lite
       Victoria Bastel - Bowtay
       Eddie Daniels - Jersey Girl
       Bianca Bakiia - Jersey girl (passenger)
       Robin Burrows - Ariane
       Victor Argo - Bet Cop
       Paul Hipp - Jesus
       Paul Calderon - Cop One
       Leonard Thomas - Cop Two
       Bo Dietl - Detective Bo
       Vincent Laresca - JC
       Minnie Gentry - Elderly Woman
       Iraida Polanco - Momacita
       Frank Adonis - Large
       Bob Murphy - Play by Play Announcer

• Director:

  Abel Ferrara

• Producer:

  Mary Kane, Edward R. Pressman

• Screenwriter:

  Abel Ferrara, Zoë Lund

• Cinematographer:

  Ken Kelsch

• Composer (Music Score):

  Joe Delia

• Editor:

  Anthony Redman

• Production Designer:

  Charles Lagola, Diana Phillips

• Co-producer:

  Randall Sabusawa

• Executive Producer:

  Patrick Wachsberger, Ronna Wallace

• Set Designer:

  Stephanie Carroll

• Costume Designer:

  David Sawaryn

• Line Producer:

  Diana Phillips

REVIEW:

• Bad Lieutenant is like a diseased '90s version of Mean Streets: same lead (Harvey Keitel), same city in turmoil (New York), same striking visual energy, same Catholic guilt. Of course, Abel Ferrara's movies have never had the same sense of humanity as Martin Scorsese's, and Bad Lieutenant is the ultimate extension of that comparison. The "bad" lieutenant is so lost in excess of every kind that he has become basically an anti-human. Ferrara has made a strange career of examining such bottom-feeders; his filmography includes such classic exploitation titles as Driller Killer, Ms. 45, and King of New York. What elevates Bad Lieutenant above the others is Keitel and his shockingly open, courageous -- some would say foolhardy -- performance. In 1992, Keitel was making quite a diverse career statement, starring in this movie, Reservoir Dogs, and...Sister Act. Ferrara's ability to build the tension surrounding the lieutenant is impressive, but none of it makes for pleasant viewing. It's a lurid, over-the-top cult film masquerading as an arthouse movie, and it's hard to imagine a motion picture that could polarize reactions more. At times, that reaction seems to be exactly Ferrara's idea. Bad Lieutenant has been issued in two versions -- one rated NC-17, and one rated R. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi