Order of Death (1983)

A pair of corrupt cops spend their illegal cash on an uptown New York City apartment.

Director:

Roberto Faenza

Writers:

Ennio De Concini (screenplay), Hugh Fleetwood (screenplay)

Stars:

Harvey Keitel, John Lydon, Nicole Garcia

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harvey Keitel	...	Lt. Fred O'Connor
John Lydon	...	Leo Smith
Nicole Garcia	...	Lenore Carvo
Leonard Mann	...	Bob Carvo
Sylvia Sidney	...	Margaret Smith
Carla Romanelli
Nicola Cancellaro
Ettore Venturini
Antonio D'Acquisto
Benedetto Sestili
Giorgio Lucenti
Angelo Cecchetti
Nikolaus Moras
Bob Kelly
Tony Mayer

Storyline

A pair of corrupt cops spend their illegal cash on an uptown New York City apartment. John Lydon stars as Leo Smith, a disturbed teenager who plays a bizarre game of cat-and-mouse with cop O'Connor ('Harvey Keitel'). He convinces him that he's the notorious cop killer that has been hunting police officers. O'Connor kidnaps him and makes him his permanent guest inside his apartment. Is Smith the corrupt cop killer? Can Harvey get to the bottom of this twisted case before it's too late, or will he get caught up in some twisted game?

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male bondage | gay subtext | poliziottesco | corrupt cop | new york | 

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Taglines:

E' giovane, è ricco. Non lo fa per denaro.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in 1981, but not released in the U.S. until 1984.

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Connections

Referenced in Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s (2012)

User Reviews

Underrated thriller/psychodrama

'Order Of Death' (aka 'Copkiller') is one of the most interesting movies on Harvey Keitel's early resume. Along with 'Fingers' and 'Blue Collar' it's one of his most underrated performances, and a movie that every Keitel fan should seek out. His character here - a corrupt NYC cop - is almost a practice run for his magnificent 'Bad Lieutenant'. Keitel plays Fred O'Connor a dysfunctional police officer who co-owns a secret luxury bachelor pad with his partner, bought with dirty money. The city is going through a series of cop killings and paranoia is rampant, though O'Connor doesn't really seem all that concerned at first. He becomes a little jumpy when he finds himself being stalked by a mysterious weirdo (John Lydon, yes Johnny Rotten of Sex Pistols infamy), and positively freaks out when he turns up on his doorstep claiming to be the cop killer. O'Connor doesn't believe him but is panicked all the same, as his whole secret life is at risk of being revealed, so he does the logical (?) thing - he keeps him prisoner. But this is only the beginning in a film that keeps you guessing, as mind games and battles of will ensue, with some strange identity and relationship swapping, almost worthy of legendary 70s headtrip 'Performance'. This strange film, somewhere between a hard boiled genre crime movie and an art-house puzzler, is flawed but fascinating, and should appeal to fans of Abel Ferrara and Wim Wenders, especially the latters overlooked 'The American Friend'.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1983 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Corrupt

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aura Film, Cooperativa Jean Vigo, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1