Bad Lieutenant (1992)

In an extremely tight race, the second place in our public programme poll was taken by Bad Lieutenant (1992). One of the most famous works of the king of New York independent filmmaking, Abel Ferrara, this story of the corrupt and drug-addicted police lieutenant has already received two unofficial sequels, both projects initiated by producer Edward R. Pressman and directed by two comparably original directors: Werner Herzog and Takashi Miike – with more apparently on the way, but Ferrara's undiluted, Catholicism-tinged vision and Harvey Keitel's unforgettable, fearlessly intense and gritty lead performance ensure that all of them will eternally be compared to this original classic. (HT Nuotio)