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Cop Killers

R 1984 1h 39m Crime Drama List
83% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 63% Audience Score 100+ Ratings
Corrupt Lt. Fred O'Connor (Harvey Keitel) spends his nights in a ritzy Central Park West apartment he's paid for by shaking down a drug dealer. But his professional life is dominated by the murder of several colleagues. When punk rocker Leo Smith (John Lydon) comes forward to say he committed the crimes, O'Connor gives him the brush-off. But when the punk finds out about the officer's double-dealing ways, the men realize they're stuck together until the investigation ends. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

View All (6) Critics Reviews
Chris Peachment Time Out Keitel is his usual ineffable self, his features glassy with repressed anxiety and violence; the only miscalculation is the casting of Lydon. Jan 22, 2013 Full Review Janet Maslin New York Times Mr. Lydon, who has just the right insinuating, runty quality for Leo, makes a strong impression, and in a better film would make an even stronger one. Jan 22, 2013 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault How often have you seen Harvey Keitel and Johnny Rotten in the same movie? Rated: B Dec 1, 2022 Full Review Imran Khan PopMatters [There are] questions raised in The Order of Death that beg for tenable explanations of crimes which both cause and affect the matters of guilt. And here... the answers to such questions simply refuse to surface. Sep 29, 2017 Full Review TV Guide A memorable film that is interesting not for its plot (which is hopelessly complex) but for the strange tension between the characters. Keitel is exceptional as the berated captor turned victim, and Lydon is simply frightening. Sep 29, 2017 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews An angry offbeat psychological crime film. Rated: B Sep 29, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (10) audience reviews
Audience Member Harvey Kietel's character could act as a prequel to his performance of the Lieutenant in Abel Ferrara's 'Bad Lieutenant'. Plot is a bit wank and you have to wonder why he just didn't kill Johnny Rotten. Overall it glides at a nice pace and love the touch by Lydon with the Arsenal leather school bag. Had one myself in the 80's. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Keitel is as dependable as ever and Lydon is surprisingly watchable even if he does appear to be playing a version of himself but on the whole the film feels like a collection of ideas thrown together and nothing really works. Faenza's direction is dull and the film is so poorly lit that it makes the Dogma movement look positively mainstream and even the usually dependable Ennio Morricone can't supply a score that could be described as anything more than plodding. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Very enjoyable movie, although I hate the idea of Harvey Keitel being homosexual. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member i wish someone would make their mindup over the title of this film,is it cop killer,the order of death,psyco cop etc????. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member pretty bad 80's style thriller.clunky dialogue. John Lydon really wasn't really that bad....but can't say I would recommend. (free On demand this month) Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Wow, why didn't anyone tell me there was a movie where Harvey Keitel is a corrupt gay cop who gets involved in a strange sadistic (psychological) relationship with Johnny Rotten and, at one point, keeps him locked in his bathroom and feeds with a dog-bowl? This is some cheesy bad Italian psychological thriller that really is totally incomprehensible on the level of plot. But, hey, it's totally worth watching. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Cop Killers

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Cop Killers

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Movie Info

Synopsis Corrupt Lt. Fred O'Connor (Harvey Keitel) spends his nights in a ritzy Central Park West apartment he's paid for by shaking down a drug dealer. But his professional life is dominated by the murder of several colleagues. When punk rocker Leo Smith (John Lydon) comes forward to say he committed the crimes, O'Connor gives him the brush-off. But when the punk finds out about the officer's double-dealing ways, the men realize they're stuck together until the investigation ends.
Director
Roberto Faenza
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 39m