Corrupt

Corrupt (Order Of Death, l'assassino dei poliziotti, Cop Killer) Directed By Roberto Faenza. Starring John Lydon. 1983

       This effective rare sleeper takes place in the sleazy 80's era of NYC people have mistakenly considered this a Giallo, which it isn't at all.

       Harvey Keitel plays Fred O' Connor, a deranged cop, who lives by his own authority, that the weak should be ridiculed and punished. Johnny Rotten is a wierdo in a ski mask, he clubs an officer under a bridge during the credits. Keitel puts on a huck-a-buck country record and lights up a cigar. His apartment reminds me of American Psycho (or maybe Felix Unger!) with its pristine white walls, nothing is state of the art however. He hides out in a hotel with his partner Bob. Rotten looks  rough trade when in plain clothes and films his investigative journals in a pre-Youtube fashion. Morricone does the score, which gives this dingy fuzzed out video some class.

       This is 83 so Lydon was in P.I.L. at the time, he's so fucking bitchy I can't imagine him taking direction from anyone as an actor. See the Tom Snyder punk DVD to see what I'm talking about. Apparently he recorded songs for the film, which later ended up in HardWare (1990).

The Odd Couple

       Keitel yells at his coworkers (who all look like 70's shop teachers) and blames the media for police corruption. Rotten sometimes dresses like a part time member of The Jam. Rotten escapes on a bus, while Keitel chases him down, he points to the headline of Copkiller and says "Me", then Keitel bitch smacks him. Rotten wants to confess to Harvey and they are both named Fred, for some reason. It's very funny seeing Keitel shove Fred in the oven and beat him with a glass of milk, it's done as if homosexual role-play. Rotten is handcuffed, tortured and forced to eat out of a dog bowl! He sleeps in a bathtub,which pisses off his room mate. That huck-a-buck country song is played incessantly, I'd image with a punk star?, you'd think they'd play punk songs! Kietel exploits Rotten and locks him in the bathroom and after strangling out information he goes to his grandparents house, where he's met by Silvia Sidney (Beetejuice). Keitel snoops around his bedroom, which is adorned with naked men in gas masks and newspaper clippings. Rotten is really a spoiled, lily livered rich kid, who's afraid and to create his own identity starts to convince himself that he is a killer, he's not, Keitel (who's insane) guides him further into that territory. The tables eventually get turned on Fred O Connor, as Rotten (who starts to resemble his housewife) tortures him pathetically with a light rock instrumental! He plays Atari and even though he's left the house to shop, doesn't escape! Rotten has other plans to frame Fred and things start getting more bizarre.   

In a peanut shell Corrupt has the grit of Night Hawks and the homosexual tension of Nightmare 2.

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