Bad Lieutenant (The)

Genre: psychological drama     

With: Harvey Keitel (the Lieutenant), Zoë Lund (Zoe or Magdalena), Frankie Thorn (the Nun)

Director: Abel Ferrara

Release: 1992

Studio: Bad Lt. Productions

Rating: NC-17

MBiS score: 7.3/10

Here’s the Buzz on the Scuzzy Fuzz

QuickView

Story-line: during the baseball playoffs, a corrupt NYPD cop hits the skids in a spectacular way.  

Pluses: nonpareil acting by Harvey Keitel as a troubled character reminiscent of Robert De Niro’s in TAXI DRIVER, a no-holds-barred screenplay, competent direction.

Minuses: THE BAD LIEUTENANT is very depressing despite several funny moments. Some people may consider it morally offensive due to its strong language and sexual content.     

Comments: for a long time I’ve wondered what this notorious, quasi-mythical film was all about and I don’t regret having seen it… but I must advise you it’s one of the more punishing motion pictures out there. Yes, the Lieutenant is one twisted and contemptible cop but he’s also a human being capable of remorse. ‟I'm sorry, Lord. – you’ll hear him say – I’ve done so many bad things.”

MBiS

© 2017 – All rights reserved

Taxi Driver

Genre: psychological drama 

With: Robert De Niro (Travis Bickle), Cybill Shepherd (Betsy), Jodie Foster (Iris), Harvey Keitel (‟Sport”), Albert Brooks (Tom)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Release: 1976

Studio: Columbia Pictures, Bill/Phillips et al.

Rating: 16

MBiS score: 9.0/10

An Angel Perhaps… With a Mohawk and a Gun

QuickView

Story-line: a lonely New York City cabbie incensed by the decadence around him comes to see himself as a man on a mission.  

Pluses: Robert De Niro’s unforgettable performance as the disturbingly disturbed Travis Bickle, strong turns by Harvey Keitel and a very young Jodie Foster, a terrifying screenplay by Paul Schrader, Martin Scorsese’s superlative direction and harrowing cameo, evocative shots of NYC’s seedier side and, of course, Bernard Herrmann’s fabulous score that seduces one second and threatens the next.

Minuses: the movie features foul language and violence.   

Comments: if TAXI DRIVER was released today, we might refer to Travis Bickle as a lone wolf, an extremist or a radicalized individual… which shows how much this brilliant and atmospheric film is still relevant in our times of disenchantment and anger. Don’t miss this Palme d’Or winner and American masterpiece inducted into the National Film Registry in 1994. ‟You talkin’ to me? Well I'm the only one here.”  

MBiS

© 2017 – All rights reserved

Of Mice and Men

Genre: psychological drama

With: John Malkovich (Lennie Small), Gary Sinise (George Milton), Ray Walston (Candy), Casey Siemaszko (Curley), Sherilyn Fenn (Curley’s wife), John Terry (Slim), Richard Riehle (Carlson)

Director: Gary Sinise

Release: 1992

Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Rating: PG-13

MBiS score: 8.1/10

‟I got you to look after me, but you got me to look after you.”

QuickView

Story-line: two friends, George and Lennie, try to make a living as farmhands during the Depression despite Lennie’s habit of getting into trouble.

Pluses: a focused screenplay by Horton Foote (based on John Steinbeck’s classic novel), Gary Sinise’s unobtrusive direction that lets the drama speak for itself, note-perfect acting, good-looking visuals.

Minuses: none whatsoever.

Comments: it’s a treat to see consummate pros like Malkovich and Sinise portraying two of John Steinbeck’s more tragic characters. OF MICE AND MEN is a mature story about friendship, dedication to others and the tough choices life can force upon us. Required viewing for movie buffs.

MBiS

© 2017 – All rights reserved