Copkiller (Corrupt) poster & wallpaper

Harvey Keitel, John Lydon, Johnny Rotten

A tough and corrupt policeman, Lieutenant Fred O'Connor (Harvey Keitel of Bad Lieutenant, Thelma and Louise) is pitted against an equally tough confessed killer Leo Smith (John Lydon aka Johnny Rotte...( read more  read more... )n). When Smith witnesses O'Connor's corruption, O'Connor holes him up in an apartment, and it soon becomes a battle of wits between two fierce and stubborn personalities.

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64% liked it

11 ratings

Unrated, 113 min

Directed by: Roberto Faenza

Release Date: January 19, 1984

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DVD Release Date: May 2, 2005

Stats: 9 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (9)

  • trentreid3
    October 14, 2009
    trentreid3
    Saw this again, since it had been a couple of decades. It still seems pretty poor, despite the great casting. Lydon does suck if considered as a serious actor, but his direct manner and aggression are a good counterpoint to Keitel. The gay BDSM content and role reversal are ha...( read more)ndled quite tamely, even for 1984. Morricone's score is barely present, largely relegated to a few key dramatic scenes. For Rotten/Keitel completists only.
  • WitchfulThinking
    August 28, 2009
    WitchfulThinking

    ...( read more)tyle="width:280px;">



    John Lydon - Copkiller

    1983, aka "Corrupt." - With Harvey Keitel, John Lydon, and character actress Sylvia Sidney. Directed by Roberto Faenza.

    Cop killer is a very unusual psychological suspense piece about lies, subterfuge, guilt transference and obsession. Harvey Keitel plays a corrupt NYC narcotics cop who with his partner, has invested in a palatial but unfurnished secret apartment that the men use as a retreat while conducting double lives. Meanwhile, someone is busy assassinating NYC undercover narcotics cops.

    John Lydon (Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) is no Lawrence Olivier, but he is quite adept at his role in this film. He plays a rich-boy heir who has a cop fetish and a peculiar history of making false confessions to high profile crimes. He stalks Keitel for six months and finally shows up at the secret apartment, confronts Keitel and tells him that he (Lydon) is the cop killer.

    Keitel, shocked at being found out, takes Lydon prisoner in the apartment indefinitely and interrogates him. Oddly, Lydon won't cooperate, When Keitel mortally injures another officer in an attempt to prevent being exposed, Keitel puts Lydon to the test and orders him to kill the cop -under threat of death.

    At this point, matters go even more awry After a life and death struggle, Lydon takes control and begins to torment, psychologically manipulate and dominate Keitel. While they each try to gain the upper hand, their relationship becomes increasingly perverse, as Lydon attempts to drive Keitel to madness and murder. Keitel struggles to keep his sanity and the viewer attempts to puzzle out whether Lydon or Keitel is guilty, whether the cop Keitel wounded and Lydon finished off was dead or alive during the coup de gras, and where the truth lies.

    This is another film that presents the story in a way that is conducive to furthering the plot in an artful and efficient manner, unencumbered by the need to follow established, contrived formulas. As such it has an unconventional feel. It is an Italian film, is English language, with some recognizable American actors and NYC shooting locations. The interiors are Italian, which further makes this movie feel unconventional. While the interior shots don't look specifically Italian, or out of context, they vary enough from what one has learned to expect in NYC film cliches to grab and hold one's attention. For some reason this has the effect of giving the viewer the sense that he has an unusual angle on the reality portrayed by this particular police-suspense film. Copkiller is not a profound piece of art, but it is solid and atypical. The movie is efficiently written, and professionally shot and edited. It may be one of Keitel's most interesting roles.
  • polo7508
    July 28, 2009
    polo7508
    Not for sensible people

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