Customer Reviews

the Bad Cop Chronicles Vol. 2: "Corrupt"

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Anyone expecting a typical crime drama, or even a Scorsese-esque Urban Anomie Saga w/ slick period soundtrack will be disappointed. This film is genuinely eccentric (not Tarantino-style faux weirdness), made under chaotic circumstances with intense philosophical earnestness. That earnestness, w/ the film's addled direction, can be achingly funny.

The highlights aren't just Lydon's tweaky, flat-voiced hamming or Keitel's poker face (w/ Lydon he's the funniest straight-man since Oliver Hardy). Check it out, the whole film was made in ROME! And they don't seem to care if you notice! Just count the loose plot ends, the obvious, clueless ad-libs, the supposedly tart one-liners that fall like little Hindenbergs. Watch for the scene where Keitel rotates a milk carton, on camera, because the label wasn't visible enough for the product placement. And then there's that "70's Country song," which is actually Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony played on wheezy folk guitar. These people had no idea what they were doing, but they weren't even trying to do it like anyone else. The result is somehow monumental.

The plot of this movie is truly intriguing; the acting by Harvey Keitel is fine; but if it weren't for John Lydon as Leo Smith, this pitiful mish-mosh of a so-called thriller would be unwatchable.

The lighting is so dark that it is hard to follow the action. The sound quality is terrible, and the plot twists and turns are so oddly paced that the tension is dissipated before the final scene. The one bright spot is Lydon's fresh and crisp portrayal of the rich psychopathic copkiller. Lydon is a natural actor, and does a great job injecting the right mix of youth and innocence with the aura of sick and dangerous obsessions. If you're a Lydon/Rotten fan, don't miss this; otherwise, forget it.

Nine years before his raw, celebrated performance in "Bad Lieutenant", Harvey Keitel gave us another visceral portrayal of a corrupt cop in this Italian police thriller. From Harvey's fringe years in European Cinema, this highly original film pairs him opposite former Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten. Rotten, billed as John Lydon, is an obssessed loner and would-be cop killer conducting personal survellance on the police. He seeks out Lieutenant Fred O'Connor(Keitel), at O'Connor's posh Manhattan apartment that the Lieutenant has purchased with money amassed while on the take, to confess to a series of murders. From that point the two engage in a bizzare and engrossing psychological battle of wills. In "Corrupt", Keitel gives us a portrayal of a deeply conflicted man at odds with himself. Unlike the Bad Lieutenant, who undergoes a combustible emotional breakdown, O'Connor is a man slowly unraveling and Keitel expertly displays every slow painful moment. Along with his other early 80's films "Deathwatch" and "Bad Timing", "Corrupt" proves that Keitel was always giving top notch, emotionally invested, and highly credible performances, even if he wasn't always getting the notice he deserved for them.

This is the censored version with all the cursing and graphic violence taken out. It may be the only available version which may make it worth something. It does not specify that it is the TV version anywhere so it is a bit of a deception. Pretty good movie if you are curious.

COP KILLER (1983) starring the great Harvey Keitel, is a movie that
builds up plenty of suspense and drama towards the end, but for
most of the movie, has a plot that is pointless and often absurd.

The DVD release seems directly transferred from the poorest VHS
tape imaginable, with a pan-and-scan format (unlike widescreen that
most people have come to appreciate and prefer these days.) The
image often is out of focus, dark, and the audio is often uneven,
inconsistent, to the point that the camera's motor is often
audible, as the it is rolling. With absolutely no mixing in the
audio, often the dialog is inaudible, other times poor, etc.

The goal of the producer was to have a big calling card in the form
of rock band Sex Pistol's John Lydon (who was the vocalist for the
punk bank in the 70's, together with Johnny Rotten, and others). At
the time of this movie, I would assume Lydon's musical career had
ended, the punk phenomenon proven ephemeral as the public's tastes
had changed.

Unfortunately for Keitel, this movie in no way, shape or form
approaches world-class art that the actor aspires to, nor does it
constitute any stepping stone to something greater or a milestone
in his career, as it seems nothing more than a low-budget project
to shake a few bucks off the unsuspecting young public, who either
liked the vocalist, or seem attracted to the concept of a police
detective mixing with a serial killer.

The number of absurdities are never ending ...Lydon eating food
from a dog tray, as he's locked up in Keitel's bathtub, after
snooping too much, and getting to close to the policeman, for
example.

In addition to low budget cameras and film, the skill of the
photographers is put into question, as the camera is "jerky" when
trying to follow action sequences as simple as an actor walking
across the street, which suggests either inexperience, lack of
skill or lack of budget. The color is too often faded or showing
distortion. There are no subtitles.

The visual special effects are either very primitive or
non-existent. The audio effects appear for the most part as having
been made on a $20 synth instrument, meaning cheaper than cheap.

The banjo soundtrack, doesn't help.

The movie could have redeemed itself, had it offered some laughable
scenes, plot or dialog. Unfortunately, the public is left on their
appetites, as the suspense and thrill of the ending (which the
director suceeds in building) unfolds in a simplistic, predictable
fashion.

Overall, in all aspects, except Keitel, the movie is not world
class at all, but mainly juvenile as a product, although it does
offer that all-important dream-like quality that most people will
remember as a weird nightmare seen on their DVD players.

COP KILLER (1983) starring the great Harvey Keitel, is a movie that
builds up plenty of suspense and drama towards the end, but for
most of the movie, has a plot that is pointless and often absurd.

The DVD release seems directly transferred from the poorest VHS
tape imaginable, with a pan-and-scan format (unlike widescreen that
most people have come to appreciate and prefer these days.) The
image often is out of focus, dark, and the audio is often uneven,
inconsistent, to the point that the camera's motor is often
audible, as the it is rolling. With absolutely no mixing in the
audio, often the dialog is inaudible, other times poor, etc.

The goal of the producer was to have a big calling card in the form
of rock band Sex Pistol's John Lydon (who was the vocalist for the
punk bank in the 70's, together with Johnny Rotten, and others). At
the time of this movie, I would assume Lydon's musical career had
ended, the punk phenomenon proven ephemeral as the public's tastes
had changed.

Unfortunately for Keitel, this movie in no way, shape or form
approaches world-class art that the actor aspires to, nor does it
constitute any stepping stone to something greater or a milestone
in his career, as it seems nothing more than a low-budget project
to shake a few bucks off the unsuspecting young public, who either
liked the vocalist, or seem attracted to the concept of a police
detective mixing with a serial killer.

The number of absurdities are never ending ...Lydon eating food
from a dog tray, as he's locked up in Keitel's bathtub, after
snooping too much, and getting to close to the policeman, for
example.

In addition to low budget cameras and film, the skill of the
photographers is put into question, as the camera is "jerky" when
trying to follow action sequences as simple as an actor walking
across the street, which suggests either inexperience, lack of
skill or lack of budget. The color is too often faded or showing
distortion. There are no subtitles.

The visual special effects are either very primitive or
non-existent. The audio effects appear for the most part as having
been made on a $20 synth instrument, meaning cheaper than cheap.

The banjo soundtrack, doesn't help.

The movie could have redeemed itself, had it offered some laughable
scenes, plot or dialog. Unfortunately, the public is left on their
appetites, as the suspense and thrill of the ending (which the
director suceeds in building) unfolds in a simplistic, predictable
fashion.

Overall, in all aspects, except Keitel, the movie is not world
class at all, but mainly juvenile as a product, although it does
offer that all-important dream-like quality that most people will
remember as a weird nightmare seen on their DVD players.