The Big Easy (1986)

Director:

Jim McBride

Writer:

Daniel Petrie Jr.

Release Date:

21 August 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Between them lies the fate of the state of New Orleans

Plot:

Set in New Orleans. Remy McSwain, lieutenant in Homicide finds that he has two problems, the first of a series of gang killings and Ann Osborne...

Plot Keywords:

Police Corruption | Corruption | Police | Murder | Sex

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Dennis Quaid	...	Det. Remy McSwain
Ellen Barkin	...	Anne Osborne
Ned Beatty	...	Jack Kellom
John Goodman	...	Det. Andre DeSoto
Lisa Jane Persky	...	McCabe
Ebbe Roe Smith	...	Ed Dodge
Tom O'Brien	...	Bobby McSwain
Charles Ludlam	...	Lamar Parmentel
Grace Zabriskie	...	Mama
Marc Lawrence	...	Vinnie 'The Cannon' DiMotti
Solomon Burke	...	Daddy Mention
Gailard Sartain	...	Chef Paul
Jim Chimento	...	Freddie Angelo
Edward Saint Pe'	...	Patrolman (as Edward St. Pe)
Robert Lesser	...	'Silky' Foster
Cheryl Starbuck	...	Hostess
Margie O'Dair	...	Mugging victim
Arden Lo	...	Mugger #1
Rickey Pierre	...	Mugger #2
Nick Krieger	...	Man in car
Gary Anthony Sturgis	...	Car vandal #1
Byron Nora	...	Car vandal #2
Archie Sampier	...	Forensic #1
Joy N. Houck Jr.	...	Sgt. Guerra
Steve Broussard	...	Dewey Piersall
Eliott Keener	...	George Joel
August Krinke	...	Internal Affairs Cop #1
John Schluter	...	Internal Affairs Cop #2
Zephirin Hymel IV	...	Internal Affairs Cop #3
Jack Harris	...	Waiter
George Dureau	...	Maitre d'
Patrick Frederic	...	First Young Lawyer
Lane Trippe	...	Second Young Lawyer
Nik Hagler	...	Hugh Dowling
Don Lutenbacher	...	Bailiff (as Don K. Lutenbacher)
Carol Sutton	...	Judge
Peter Gabb	...	Magnet Salesman
Jim Garrison	...	Judge (as Judge Jim Garrison)
Dave Petitjean	...	Uncle Sos
Buddy Quaid	...	Justin
Dennis Curren	...	Cousin Terry
Rico Wheat	...	Rodney
Robert Kearney	...	Desk Sergeant
Joe Catalanotto	...	Garage Dispatcher (as Joseph Catalanotto)
Terrance Simien	...	Band Leader in Tipitina's Restaurant (as Terrance Simien & The Mallet Playboys)
Gene Chambers	...	Guitarist in Tipitina's Restaurant (as Terrance Simien & The Mallet Playboys)
Popp Esprite	...	Bassist in Tipitina's Restaurant (as Terrance Simien & The Mallet Playboys)
Earl Sally	...	Scrubboardist in Tipitina's Restaurant (as Terrance Simien & The Mallet Playboys)
Rudy Chambers	...	Drummer & Percussionist in Tipitina's Restaurant (as Terrance Simien & The Mallet Playboys)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Phillip V. Caruso	...	Courtroom Bailiff (uncredited)
Jeff Hollis	...	Sgt. Duvivier (uncredited)

Directed by
Jim McBride

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Daniel Petrie Jr.

Produced by
Jack Baran	....	associate producer
Mort Engelberg	....	executive producer
Stephen J. Friedman	....	producer (as Stephen Friedman)
Tony Tagliere	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Brad Fiedel

Cinematography by
Affonso Beato		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Mia Goldman

Casting by
David Rubin

Production Design by
Jeannine Claudia Oppewall

Set Decoration by
Lisa Fischer

Costume Design by
Tracy Tynan

Makeup Department
Enid Arias	....	hair stylist
Julie Purcell	....	makeup artist
Susan Spaid	....	assistant hair stylist
Susan Spaid	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
John C. Broderick	....	unit production manager (as John Broderick)
Ann Frisbee	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dan Dugan	....	second assistant director (as Daniel Dugan)
Michael Schroeder	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Timothy Arnoult	....	swing (as Tim Arnoult)
James Barth	....	construction foreman (as Jim Barth)
John Beauvais	....	paint foreman
Paul Chadwick	....	storyboard artist
Brad Einhorn	....	lead man
Douglas Fox	....	property master
Robert 'Rock' Galotti	....	assistant property master (as Robert M. Galotti)
Tina Garmaise	....	assistant property master
Patrick McGuire	....	swing
Judy K. Nelson	....	swing
David C. Potter	....	set dresser (as David Potter)
Chip Radaelli	....	construction coordinator
Dion Richardson	....	swing
James Dupuy	....	foreman (uncredited)
Stuart Spates	....	props buyer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Douglas Axtell	....	cable person
Beth Bergeron	....	sound editor
George Berndt	....	adr supervisor
George Berndt	....	sound editor
Gary C. Bourgeois	....	dialogue mixer (as Gary Bourgeois)
Chris Carpenter	....	sound effects mixer
Virginia Cook-McGowan	....	sound editor (as Virginia A. Cook)
Dody Dorn	....	sound editor
Dennis Drummond	....	sound editor
Joan Giammarco	....	sound editor
Robert Grieve	....	sound editor
Kenneth Heeley-Ray	....	sound editor (as Ken Heeley-Ray)
Patrushkha Mierzwa	....	boom operator
John M. Murrow	....	assistant sound editor
Joel Shryack	....	cable person
Mark Ulano	....	production sound mixer
Linda Whittlesey	....	sound editor
Bruce Irvine	....	sound recording engineer (uncredited)
Don White	....	foley recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Greg Landerer	....	special effects coordinator (as Gregory C. Landerer)
William Purcell	....	special effects coordinator

Stunts
Jophery C. Brown	....	stunts (as Jophery Brown)
Diamond Farnsworth	....	stunt coordinator (as Richard Diamond Farnsworth)
Linda Lee Franklin	....	stunts (as Linda Franklin)
Steve Kelso	....	stunts
Walt La Rue	....	stunts
Julius LeFlore	....	stunts
Dan Munson	....	stunts
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunts
John Vitale	....	stunts
Grady Walker	....	stunts
Greg Walker	....	stunts
Rock A. Walker	....	stunts (as Rock Walker)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Bass	....	electrician
Sal Camacho	....	second assistant camera
Phillip V. Caruso	....	still photographer
Ted H. Hauser	....	first assistant camera (as Ted Hauser)
Jono Kouzouyan	....	gaffer
Bela Lehoczky	....	grip
Michael Levine	....	camera operator
Ian Lynch	....	second assistant camera
Robert Nelson	....	grip (as Robert A. Nelson)
John Pierce	....	electrician
Michael L. Smith	....	electrician
Keith Talley	....	grip
Michael Uva	....	best boy (as Mike Uva)
Brad Wood	....	grip
Douglas Wood	....	key grip (as Doug Wood)
Nicholas Woodring	....	electrician
Jack Yanekian	....	best boy

Casting Department
Wilma Francis	....	casting: Louisiana

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rudy Dillon	....	costumer
Francine Flemming	....	assistant costumer

Editorial Department
Phil Downey	....	color timer
Wilt Henderson	....	assistant editor (as Wilton Henderson)
John Hoeren	....	first assistant editor
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Christy Richmond	....	apprentice editor
Joanne Schmidt	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Peter Afterman	....	music supervisor
Neil Brody	....	music mixer
Richard Stone	....	supervising music editor
Diane DeLouise Wessel	....	music supervisor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Marlo Hellerstein	....	transportation captain
David Marder	....	transportation coordinator
Al Sens	....	transportation captain: New Orleans (as Alexander Sens Jr.)
Carl Thompson	....	transportation co-captain: New Orleans

Other crew
Charlotte Alison	....	production assistant
Roger Armstrong	....	unit publicist
Edwin 'Itsi' Atkins	....	location manager
Fran Beirs	....	marine coordinator
Benita Brazier	....	script supervisor
Dennis Curren	....	location consultant
Kimberly Edwards	....	assistant production accountant (as Kymberly Edwards)
Darrell J. Frey	....	assistant: Mr. Quaid
Jaffrey Gatto	....	craft service
Tina Girouard	....	choreographer
Tim Guyer	....	title designer
Patricia Head	....	technical advisor
Danella Hero	....	accounting assistant
Bob Johnston	....	assistant location manager (as Robert Johnston)
John Kane	....	production assistant
Rick Landry	....	location paymaster
Patricia Serafina Madiedo	....	production secretary (as Patricia Madiedo)
Kool Marder	....	production coordinator (as Kool Lusby)
Tara Martin	....	production assistant
Marcus McWaters	....	production assistant
Elizabeth Miller	....	stand-in
F. Stanley Pearse Jr.	....	assistant: Miss Barkin
Charles Plauche	....	stand-in
Michael J. Rice	....	technical advisor (as Detective Michael J. Rice)
Mildred Schluter	....	first aid
Wayne Softley	....	craft service
Cheryl Starbuck	....	production assistant
Allen E. Taylor	....	production accountant
Andrew Varela	....	promotions coordinator
Richard Blake Wester	....	production assistant (as Richard Wester)
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)
Jonathan Smart	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Kings Road Entertainment (presents)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
• Jemah Films (1989) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Season Films (1989) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Seven Keys (198?) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Aquarius TV (2008) (Greece) (TV)
• Aurora (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1989) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Dice DVD (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Disky Communications Europe (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Filmpac Home Video
• Home Box Office (HBO) (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Manga Films (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Trimark Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Vidmark Entertainment (1999) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Antilles Records  soundtrack published by
• Bon Bon Productions Ltd.  payroll services (as bob bon entertainment, inc.)
• Four Seasons Catering  catering
• Lynn Stalmaster & Associates  casting
• New Orleans Film Commission, The  film commission

Also Known As:

"The Big Crackdown" - Philippines (English title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Antoine's Restaurant - 713 St. Louis Street, French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Kings Road Entertainment

Trivia:

Both Ellen Barkin and Dennis Quaid consider this the favorite of all the films they've made.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the final gunfight, the smoke from DeSoto's gunshot disappears between cuts.

Quotes:

Anne Osborne:[Anne and Remy are on the scene of a triple murder] Why don't you believe that the killers were cops?
Remy McSwain:Because if they were cops, they would've stayed right here. And when we arrived, we would've found plants, guns, knives, all kinds of evidence that they resisted arrest. That's somethin' every cop in the world knows how to do.
Anne Osborne:That sure doesn't surprise me.
Remy McSwain:Oh yeah? Well, you probably know how to bribe a jury too, don't you?
[smiles wickedly]
Remy McSwain:Even though you probably never have, huh?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.31" (2011)

Soundtrack:

FOR YOUR LOVE I WOULD PAY ANY PRICE

Has Its Moments But Just Fair Overall

I found this to be a so-so modern-day film noir drama - not bad, but nothing super. To its credit, it provides a little humor to offset the ugliness.

It also provides the standard sex scenes, this one featuring Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin; the seedy New Orleans atmosphere and the standard cops-are- crooked angle. The last part plays a big role in this story as even the good guy Quaid admits to numerous minor offenses. Unfortunately, you can't always understand Dennis as he gives us his Cajun accent. He sounded - and looked - as if he had marbles in his mouth.

Barkin was not as rough-talking and rough-looking as she was in a bunch of other films from the mid '80s to mid '90s, which was fine with me. New Orleans was pictured, as it so often is, as very bleak and dingy. If city residents weren't happy with this movie, I could understand that.

The ending of the film is a little hokey but overall, the story was interesting and I gave it two looks over the years, liking it better the second time.