3/17/08

"Rat Fuck"

Bad Lieutenant (1992) Twelve minutes and twenty-one seconds in, Abel Ferrara has Harvey Keitel’s nameless dirty cop prance about in the nude, pathetically weeping with his arms outstretched, in a room shared by two whores. What follows is a descent into sinful sordidness of the most spectacular sort, with Keitel – on the trail of two thugs who raped a nun – smoking, snorting and shooting drugs (including twice with co-screenwriter Zoe “Ms. 45” Lund, degrading women via verbal abuse and public masturbation, placing increasingly exorbitant, life-threatening bets on the Mets-Dodgers championship series, and calling a hallucinatory vision of Jesus Christ that he sees in Church a “rat fuck.” Who can resist Harvey's pathetic "cry-moan" he shows a few times during the movie. So real it churns my gut. Note: This movie is over the top and in such fashion it has some 'offensive' language. It all fits with his character so, please; put it in context. This was the better of the scenes I found. Anyway, this is another must see. In the career of Keitel, for me, this ranks way up top next to 'Fingers' and in a stand off with 'Mean Streets.' Definitely worth owning. As a bonus, you get the illegal version of Schooly D's "Signifying Rapper" with the "Kashmir" bite. This song sets an unforgettable feel of a seedy NY with the main riff pushing and pushing this man, seconds from complete destruction.