This is the first film I've seen by director Abel Ferrara
Bad Lieutenant
A film where you MUST sit through all of the sin and degradation to the end of the film before you make any judgments. It's not an extremely advanced or complex view of redemption, but I found it to be a powerful one.
*SPOILERS* After watching this guy consumed by every kind of vice and self humiliation which we know must have taken a lifetime to get to, we get to watch his utter confusion and anger at a nun and her forgiveness. The moment of him screaming and swearing at the silent image of Jesus standing in front of him in the church aisle, pleasing with him for help and swearing at him for his apparent lack of answer. We see slowly afterwards that the answers of such moments are not always an open and verbal response, but can be just as compelling and clear.
I'm a sucker for these films where there's some good deed, divine revelation, or realization just before a characters death. Check out the films of Robert Bresson.
I have a coworker who is convinced of Ferrara's genius. Although some of his other titles sound a lot more schlocky, I'm ready to see if they can surprise me as much as this film.
Rating: 9/10