“There are no good guys.”

On Thursday 30th July 2026, Be Kind Rewind Bristol returns to the downstairs cinema at The Ill Repute with a film that stares straight into the abyss: Bad Lieutenant (1992).

Directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Harvey Keitel in one of the most fearless performances of his career, Bad Lieutenant is a grimy, bruising journey through guilt, addiction, corruption, and the possibility (or impossibility) of redemption.

Keitel plays a nameless New York police lieutenant spiralling completely out of control; gambling, stealing, using, and abusing his power while investigating a horrific crime that forces him to confront the wreckage of his own soul.

Shot with Ferrara’s trademark street-level intensity, this is New York cinema at its dirtiest and most desperate. No glamour. No easy answers. Only neon lights, empty streets, bad decisions, and a man collapsing under the weight of everything he’s done.

Controversial on release and still capable of shocking today, Bad Lieutenant is an uncomfortable, unforgettable piece of early ’90s independent cinema anchored by a performance that feels less acted than survived.

A raw, relentless cult classic about sin, self-destruction, and searching for grace at rock bottom.

▶ The Ill Repute, Old Market - downstairs cinema room
▶ Doors 7:30pm / Film 8pm sharp (no late entry)
▶ Free entry - first come, first served (arrive early to guarantee a seat)
▶ Drinks and snacks available at the bar

Be Kind Rewind Bristol is a free bi-weekly Thursday cult film night celebrating strange, beloved and offbeat cinema in the downstairs screening room at The Ill Repute.