Bad Lieutenant (1992)Movie Reviews

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Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Not only more crazy than "Reservoir Dogs,'' but it also feels more real. [1 Jan 1993, Daily Notebook, p.D1] Read full review

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    It is not a "dirty movie," and in fact takes spirituality and morality more seriously than most films do. And in the bad lieutenant, Keitel has given us one of the great screen performances in recent years. Read full review

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly |

    For all its scenes of degradation (five minutes of which have been shorn for an R-rated cut; we recommend the original NC-17 version), Bad Lieutenant is a deeply moral movie. It's not pretty-it's not even very realistic-but it does matter. Read full review

  • 90
    Variety |

    Abel Ferrara's uncompromising Bad Lieutenant is a harrowing journey observing a corrupt NY cop sink into the depths, with an extraordinary and uninhibited performance by Harvey Keitel in the title role. Read full review

  • 78
    Austin Chronicle | Marjorie Baumgarten

    What it lacks in charm, it compensates for with audacity and single-mindedness of vision. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Hal Hinson

    Ferrara is clearly drawing an equation between the criminals' actions and The Lieutenant's, and as trite (and potentially shameless) as this may sound, it actually works. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | Elvis Mitchell

    Mr. Ferrara has his saving graces, too, the chief one being raw talent, which he continues to display while telling even the most far-fetched story. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Peter Rainer

    It's a film enthralled by its own lower depths Although Bad Lieutenant is structured as a redemptive thriller, it functions primarily as a freak show with religioso overtones. [30 Dec 1992, Calendar, p.F-7] Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Mike Clark

    It's the first film to include both a cameo appearance by Jesus and a full-frontal nude shot of Harvey Keitel dancing in a drugged stupor. [20 Nov 1992, Life, p.4D] Read full review

  • 40
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    Despite a glut of luridness, the story line feels essentially flat, as Keitel stumbles through New York in an immoral, unchanging haze. It is only the strength of Keitel's performance that gives his personality human dimension. Read full review

Bad Lieutenant (1992) Movie Ratings + Reviews

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