I find this film to be a strange Frankenstein hybrid of both. There are points when the religious imagery clearly points
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Bad Lieutenant
GuyOnTheLeft — 12 years ago(July 01, 2013 12:49 AM)
I find this film to be a strange Frankenstein hybrid of both. There are points when the religious imagery clearly points toward some kind of symbolic art house clich; but often I felt more like I was watching some sleazy, NC-17 version of one of those awful movies that used to play on USA Up All Night. I kept expecting to see imagery of steam billowing from sewer grates as saxophone riffs echoed into the night. Or Shannon Tweed.
Yet according to Netflix, this was the single highest recommended film for me that I had not yet seen. They expected me to give it 4.3 stars when in fact I gave it two. Weird that apparently other people who share my tastes in general like this so much and don't see right through it.
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Crafty78 — 12 years ago(September 15, 2013 05:46 PM)
To me it can be viewed either way. It has enough artistic merit in it to be viewed as a totally serious, yet grim piece of film making and on the other hand it can be viewed late at night drunk whilst laughing out loud at the sheer over the topness of it all.
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GuyOnTheLeft — 12 years ago(September 16, 2013 12:54 AM)
Which way do you prefer?

See a list of my favourite films here: http://www.flickchart.com/slackerinc -
Crafty78 — 12 years ago(September 16, 2013 08:18 AM)
Good question. I'd have to go with a serious piece of film making, although I have laughed at numerous scenes in the film. The same can be said about say Taxi Driver and the 'You talkin' to me?' scene. One man's mental breakdown shouldn't be funny, but there's something darkly humorous about it all.
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Kaliyugaforkix — 12 years ago(November 03, 2013 03:31 PM)
Its both, its like the sacred (art film) & the profane (schlock exploitation) exist side by side and cancel each other out to achieve this strange druggy lucidity by the time Jesus shows up, like a flower out of a pot of dirt. +/-