(There are Spoilers) Unbelievably dark an depressing film about a York City cop, Harvey Keitel, who's going under from the sheer weight of problems that he made for himself over he years.
Lieutenant, for a better name since he doesn't have one in the films credits, Keitel's life has been spiraling out of control since he's become addicted to both crack and cocaine. Sniffing coke in his car and smoking crack at his girlfriend's, a crack dealer, Zoe (Zoe Lund) apartment had just about burned Keitel out.
As he's slowly losing control of his life Keitel decides to pull off a major coup on he mobs bookie racket by betting that the L.A Dodgers, who are down three games to none, are going to come back from the dead and beat the NY Mets in the post-season playoffs. Getting some of his fellow cops to bet with him Keitel ends up parlaying his bets where by the time the seventh game comes around he's $120,000.00 in the hole with the mob wanting it's money or else it will not only do in Kietel but his family as well.
Kietel for his part seems oblivious to what he put himself and his family into with his mindless betting as well as drug use feeling that because he's a cop he's immune to mob retaliation. That impression on Kietel's part is about as realistic as him being a cop makes him immune to becoming addicted on crack! It's later when reality enters his thick skull that Kietel looks for answers to solve the mess that he made for himself and that comes with the brutal attack and rape of a nun, Frankie Thorn, in a church in Spanish Harlem.
With the church putting up a $50,000.00 reward for information to who the nun's rapists are and having them face justice Kietel feels that by solving the case he's have all he cash he needs to pay off the bookies that he's so much in debt to. The only problem that Kietel has is that the nun, who can identify her assailants, refuses to press charges or reveal their identities!
A truly remarkable performance by actor Harvey Kietel that has you riveted to the screen every time he's appears. Kietel's unbelievable scene at the church where he's confronted by Jesus, Paul Hipp, while what seem like in a drug induced stupor is as good if not better then Marlon Brando's performance at the funeral home, where his wife is lying in state, in "Last Tango in Paris". Showing at first a deep resentment toward Jesus for his own lot in life Kietel suddenly realizes what a crumb he's been all his life and then falls on his knees begging for both salvation and forgiveness from the very person whom he just lambasted. That stunning ten or so minute sequence is worth the price of admission alone!
In the end Kietel realizes that the only way he can redeem himself is to do what the raped nun want's and that is to forgive, like Jesus would have done, those who viciously assaulted her. Tracking down, with the help of a church member, the nuns assailants who were found less then two blocks from the scene of their crime Kietel has them check out of town with his stash of drug money, $30,000.00, never to come back to NYC again. This with the entire NYPD out on the streets looking for them many more then willing to exact street justice on the rapists.
I's just too bad that the mob wasn't as kind forgiving and understanding to Kietel as he was to the two rapists. In the end Kietel not paying off on his bet, with the Dodgers losing the seventh game in the playoffs, himself gets a taste of street justice in front of the New York City Port Authority Bus Terminal. The very place that he just put the two rapists on an out of town bus and out of harms way! The motto of the movie is that Jesus forgives but the Mob doesn't.
Lieutenant, for a better name since he doesn't have one in the films credits, Keitel's life has been spiraling out of control since he's become addicted to both crack and cocaine. Sniffing coke in his car and smoking crack at his girlfriend's, a crack dealer, Zoe (Zoe Lund) apartment had just about burned Keitel out.
As he's slowly losing control of his life Keitel decides to pull off a major coup on he mobs bookie racket by betting that the L.A Dodgers, who are down three games to none, are going to come back from the dead and beat the NY Mets in the post-season playoffs. Getting some of his fellow cops to bet with him Keitel ends up parlaying his bets where by the time the seventh game comes around he's $120,000.00 in the hole with the mob wanting it's money or else it will not only do in Kietel but his family as well.
Kietel for his part seems oblivious to what he put himself and his family into with his mindless betting as well as drug use feeling that because he's a cop he's immune to mob retaliation. That impression on Kietel's part is about as realistic as him being a cop makes him immune to becoming addicted on crack! It's later when reality enters his thick skull that Kietel looks for answers to solve the mess that he made for himself and that comes with the brutal attack and rape of a nun, Frankie Thorn, in a church in Spanish Harlem.
With the church putting up a $50,000.00 reward for information to who the nun's rapists are and having them face justice Kietel feels that by solving the case he's have all he cash he needs to pay off the bookies that he's so much in debt to. The only problem that Kietel has is that the nun, who can identify her assailants, refuses to press charges or reveal their identities!
A truly remarkable performance by actor Harvey Kietel that has you riveted to the screen every time he's appears. Kietel's unbelievable scene at the church where he's confronted by Jesus, Paul Hipp, while what seem like in a drug induced stupor is as good if not better then Marlon Brando's performance at the funeral home, where his wife is lying in state, in "Last Tango in Paris". Showing at first a deep resentment toward Jesus for his own lot in life Kietel suddenly realizes what a crumb he's been all his life and then falls on his knees begging for both salvation and forgiveness from the very person whom he just lambasted. That stunning ten or so minute sequence is worth the price of admission alone!
In the end Kietel realizes that the only way he can redeem himself is to do what the raped nun want's and that is to forgive, like Jesus would have done, those who viciously assaulted her. Tracking down, with the help of a church member, the nuns assailants who were found less then two blocks from the scene of their crime Kietel has them check out of town with his stash of drug money, $30,000.00, never to come back to NYC again. This with the entire NYPD out on the streets looking for them many more then willing to exact street justice on the rapists.
I's just too bad that the mob wasn't as kind forgiving and understanding to Kietel as he was to the two rapists. In the end Kietel not paying off on his bet, with the Dodgers losing the seventh game in the playoffs, himself gets a taste of street justice in front of the New York City Port Authority Bus Terminal. The very place that he just put the two rapists on an out of town bus and out of harms way! The motto of the movie is that Jesus forgives but the Mob doesn't.