Production:
Theatrical: Aries Films
Blu-ray: Lionsgate
Disc:
Region: FREE!
Runtime: 1:36:13.601
Disc Size: 18,937,805,429 bytes
Feature Size: 16,446,959,616 bytes
Video Bitrate: 19.490 Mbps
Chapters: 16
Case: Standard Blu-Ray Case
Release date: October 5th, 2010
Video:
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080P / 23.976 fps
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio:
English (DTS-HD Master Audio 1728 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1728
kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit))
English (Dolby Digital Audio 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192
kbps / DN -4dB)
Subtitles:
English, Spanish, None
Extras:
• Audio Commentary with Director Abel Ferrara and Director
of Photography Ken Kelsch
• Retrospective Documentary Featuring Exclusive Interviews
with the Cast and Crew (34:02)
• Theatrical Trailer
Description: If police lieutenant Harvey Keitel's life could
get any more sordid, he could probably sell tickets. The
least of his vices is gambling, which has gotten him in
Dutch with the mob. He abuses his body with drugs and his
soul with hookers, and now he's turned to exploiting teenage
girls for sex. Keitel is forced to reassess his life while
investigating the rape of a nun. Director Abel Ferrara
co-wrote the screenplay with Zoe Lund, who as Zoe Tamerlis
starred in Ferrara's cult classic Ms. 45. A soundtrack tune
by rapper Schoolly D, which was included in the initial
release of Bad Lieutenant, featured a sample from Led
Zeppelin which was used without permission; the song has
since been excised from the soundtrack. ~ Hal Erickson,
All Movie Guide
The Film:
When Abel Ferrara calls something bad, better believe it: he
means business. Mr. Ferrara, whose gleefully down-and-dirty
films include "Fear City" and "King of New York," has used
his latest, "Bad Lieutenant," as a form of personal
one-upmanship. He has come up with his own brand of supersleaze, in a film that would seem outrageously,
unforgivably lurid if it were not also somehow perfectly
sincere.
In inventing the corrupt police officer of the title, this
director is not thinking of the sort who fixes parking
tickets. He's imagining a crack addict who'll yell "Police
business!" to empty a tenement hallway so he can make his
drug buy. Mr. Ferrara is inventing a law officer who,
confronted with the sight of a robbery in progress, runs to
a pay phone to call his bookie with a bet on a Mets game.
Excerpt of review from Janet Maslin at the NY Times located HERE
Image:
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant
was shot with a gritty, modest, appearance and probably some
inferior stock was used in production to export this
rough-hone appearance.
It wasn't meant to look crystal-clear and glossy. Hence,
this transfer can only bring it closer to theatrical - it
can't make intentionally rough, pale, visuals look tight,
pristine, and vibrant. So the 1080P transfer can look
frequently soft, dark, and with dullish colors - more than one
might anticipate from this medium. However, close-ups
can be rich with detail, and grain is frequently thick and
heavy. There's some noise in the darker sequences but
overall this seems a faithful replication of the original
without distracting digital manipulations like DNR or
boosting. The visuals won't impress those with unrealistic
expectations but it appear to be an authentic rendering -
and we can appreciate it on that level.
CLICK EACH
BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio & Music:
The film sports a utilitarian lossless stereo track that
does the job with a no-frills approach. The dialogue is
clear enough, but the 2.0 channel DTS-Master transfer can
sound predictably flat. The track is clean without any
unwanted background noise like snaps or hisses. The disc
sports optional English and Spanish subtitles
and
has been identified
it as being a region FREE disc playable on
Blu-ray
machines worldwide.
Extras:
Aside from a theatrical trailer, the disc comes with two
impressive extras. First, there's a feature length
commentary track with director Abel Ferrara and director of
photography Ken Kelsch, covering the film's production and
reception. While many of the same themes are covered in the
film's featurette, "It All Happens Here", there's enough new
and interesting material to make them both worthwhile.
Bottom line:
The image is as the image is, and it is probably
the best that we'll ever see this disturbing and
uncomfortable film from a highly interesting auteur. An
inferior (IMHO) companion piece is Herzog's
Bad Lieutenant - Port of Call New Orleans.
With the reasonable price this remarkable Keitel/Ferrara
intense combination-punch effort on
Blu-ray
is certainly recommended.
September 7th, 2010
