Bad Lieutenant (1992): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Bad Lieutenant is a 1992 drama thriller directed by Abel Ferrara, starring Harvey Keitel. It runs 1 hour 36 minutes and earned $2 million worldwide. It won 1 award from 3 nominations, including Best Male Lead at the Spirit Awards 1993. Critics gave it 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and 70 on Metacritic.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 36m (96 min)
- Director
- Abel Ferrara
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Aries Films
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Bad Lieutenant About?
The premise of Bad Lieutenant without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A troubled New York City police officer descends into a chaotic spiral of addiction and questionable behavior while investigating a series of crimes. His personal struggles intensify as he becomes entangled in the brutal rape of a nun, blurring the lines between justice and obsession. He finds himself confronting disturbing situations and grappling with his own morality in a desperate search for meaning and a chance at redemption amidst the city's underbelly.
Bad Lieutenant Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- rape
- male full frontal nudity
- gambling
- detective
- baseball
- corrupt cop
- rape of a nun
- police lieutenant
- urban setting
- rape victim
- emotional breakdown
- nun
+38 more Show fewer
- drug dealer
- neo noir
- corruption
- money
- threesome
- bookie
- rapist
- police officer
- crying man
- anti hero
- drive by shooting
- shooting heroin
- gambling addiction
- self destructiveness
- tragedy
- lust
- abuse of power
- shot to death
- murder of a police officer
- masturbation
- violence
- depression
- depravity
- penis
- church
- crucifix
- female rear nudity
- drug addiction
- father son relationship
- blood splatter
- nameless character
- brutality
- drugs
- police
- forgiveness
- police protagonist
- heroin
- fellatio
Bad Lieutenant Cast
Harvey Keitel stars in Bad Lieutenant. Directed by Abel Ferrara.
-
Director Abel Ferrara
More from Abel Ferrara
More films directed by Abel Ferrara, best-rated first: Pasolini, King of New York, Ms. 45 and Tommaso.
Bad Lieutenant Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Bad Lieutenant 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and 70 on Metacritic.
-
Rotten Tomatoes 86% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 57%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 70 Metascore
User score 6.4
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 70% User score
See on TMDB
Bad Lieutenant Plot Summary
What happens in Bad Lieutenant from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
After dropping off his two young sons at Catholic school, an unnamed NYPD police lieutenant snorts cocaine before heading to the scene of a double homicide in Union Square. Determined to assert his dominance in the drug world, the lieutenant tracks down a dealer and gives him crack taken from the crime scene, smoking some himself to test its purity. The dealer promises to pay him a cut from future sales. The day takes a questionable turn when the lieutenant ends up in a rundown apartment, getting drunk and engaging in a threesome with two women. Later, he visits a red-haired junkie, sharing a syringe filled with heroin. Meanwhile, in a horrifying parallel event, a nun suffers a brutal assault inside a church at the hands of two young thugs.
Full summary
The whole story of Bad Lieutenant, scene by scene
Bad Lieutenant Box Office
Bad Lieutenant grossed $2 million worldwide. $2 million came from the US and Canada and $38,894 (2%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$2M
- US & Canada
- $2M
- International
- $38.9K
Bad Lieutenant Awards & Nominations
Bad Lieutenant won 1 award from 3 nominations, including Best Male Lead at the Spirit Awards 1993.
1 win3 nominations1 ceremony
-
Spirit Awards 1993 1 win · 3 nominations- Won Best Male Lead – Harvey Keitel
- Nominated Best Director – Abel Ferrara
- Nominated Best Feature
Bad Lieutenant Trailers & Videos
11 videos: 1 trailer, 9 clips and 1 featurette.
- Clip 'Deal In The Hallway' Scene
- Clip 'Give Me The Money Now' Scene
- Clip 'Smoking In The Bathroom' Scene
- Clip 'Put It Into Evidence' Scene
How Well Do You Know Bad Lieutenant?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What event prompts the lieutenant’s downward spiral?
Cars in Bad Lieutenant
28 cars on screen, including the 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria and the 1989 Cadillac Sedan DeVille.
-
1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria Important role -
1989 Cadillac Sedan DeVille Minor role -
1990 Lincoln Mark VII Minor role -
1985 MCI 96 A3 Minor role
Bad Lieutenant Also Known As
23 alternative titles, including “バッド・ルーテナント 刑事とドラッグとキリスト” and “배드 캅”.
- Also known as
-
- バッド・ルーテナント 刑事とドラッグとキリスト
- 배드 캅
- 악질 형사
- Teniente corrupto
- Плохой лейтенант
- Il cattivo tenente
- O Polícia Sem Lei
- Den korrumperade snuten
- Зли поручник
- Kötü Polis
- Paha poliisi
- פקד מושחת
+11 more Show fewer
- A mocskos zsaru
- Zły Porucznik
- 坏中尉
- Лошият лейтенант
- Vício Frenético
- Blogas leitenantas
- Поганий лейтенант
- Poručík
- バッド・ルーテナント／刑事とドラッグとキリスト
- Cảnh Sát Phạm Tội
- Un maldito policía
Seen Bad Lieutenant?
Movies Like Bad Lieutenant
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans, Bad Guy and Bad Boys.
Bad Lieutenant FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Bad Lieutenant, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Bad Lieutenant?
Bad Lieutenant runs 1 hour 36 minutes (96 minutes).
When was Bad Lieutenant released?
Bad Lieutenant was released on November 20, 1992.
Who directed Bad Lieutenant?
Bad Lieutenant was directed by Abel Ferrara.
More films by Abel Ferrara Who is in the cast of Bad Lieutenant?
Bad Lieutenant stars Harvey Keitel.
How much did Bad Lieutenant make at the box office?
Bad Lieutenant grossed $2 million worldwide ($2 million domestic, $38,894 international).
How is Bad Lieutenant rated?
Bad Lieutenant has 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, 70 on Metacritic and 70% on TMDB.
What awards did Bad Lieutenant win?
Bad Lieutenant won 1 award from 3 nominations, including Best Male Lead at the Spirit Awards 1993.
Does Bad Lieutenant have a post-credit scene?
No. Bad Lieutenant has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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