LT (Harvey Keitel) is a corrupt New York cop who is addicted to drugs and gambling. He tries to redeem himself whilst investigating the r*pe of a nun.

I remember going to see this with a friend on its original release. Except that the friend in question was a born-again Christian. It was quite the experience.

Ironically, there’s a lot of religious iconography and symbolism in the film with LT being shown to be in need of redemption with the faintest trace of a moral compass within him.

But he’s also corrupt. And when I say corrupt, I mean corrupt! There are so many notorious scenes depicting this (including the numerous scenes he’s shown doing cocaine at the wheel of his car, him trying to pocket drugs at a bust but messing it up as he’s so wasted, the scene of the two young women in the car that he’s questioning…)

Keitel gives one of the best performances of his whole career as we see one of the most tormented, tortured and twisted characters ever to grace a screen brought to life. His performance is nothing short of astonishing. There’s also a great supporting cast including Zoe Lund (Ms 45 herself who also co-wrote the film) and Victor Argo from Taxi Driver.

Watching this again in 2026, I loved what I saw and it further solidified Abel Ferrara’s status to me as a wildly talented director. It also brought back so many memories. Studying for my A levels, reading Empire magazine avidly, the furore regarding film censorship that reared its ugly head around this time following the murder of James Bulger (Bad Lieutenant would be released uncut for cinema screens but cut to smithereens for a home video release).

Martin Scorsese called this film one of the best of the 90s. I believe him.

5 out of 5 stars