New sequel to once-banned crime thriller movie gets exciting first look

Martin Scorsese has called the original one of the best films of the 1990s.

Moving the action to the Japanese capital, after the previous movies were set in the United States, the story follows a Tokyo police officer and compulsive gambler. He finds himself "thrown into a tangled case after an enigmatic FBI agent arrives in the city to investigate the disappearance of a politician’s daughter".

Helmed by cult Japanese director Takashi Miike (Audition, 13 Assassins), Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo's lead roles will be played by Shun Oguri (Godzilla vs Kong), Lily James (Pam & Tommy), and WWE star Liv Morgan.

Bad Lieutenant's Ireland Ban

The original 1992 Bad Lieutenant saw Harvey Keitel (Taxi Driver) portray the unnamed title character, a corrupt New York cop addicted to drugs and steeped in gambling debt who exploits his authority in a variety of awful ways.

While investigating a shocking crime committed against a nun, the policeman starts to wrestle with his shocking actions. Can he find redemption despite what he has done?

Co-written and directed by cult filmmaker Abel Ferrara (King of New York), Bad Lieutenant plunges the viewer into the depths of addiction and depravity before building to an incredibly powerful Church-set scene in which Keitel's cop finally reckons with his crimes.

The movie provoked controversy upon release for its lurid story, and was even banned in Ireland for a period. That said, the film was also praised by many for its stunningly brave central performance, its authentically gritty direction, and its religious iconography and theme of redemption.

In 2009, Ferrara's movie got a New Orleans-set reboot starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Werner Herzog, which is also excellent, if slightly less abrasive in its content.

Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo Release Dates

Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo will have its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2026.

TIFF say of the movie: "The latest from prolific maestro Takashi Miike, like Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant (TIFF '92) and Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call — New Orleans (TIFF '09), is a sensational ride through the darkest crevasses of the criminal underworld."

Irish and UK release dates for Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo have not been scheduled yet.