The Badge (2002)

A sheriff (Thornton) begins an investigation into the death of a local transsexual after hearing that high ranking politicians may have been involved. Although he is homophobic, his ... See full summary »

Director:

Robby Henson

Writer:

Robby Henson

Stars:

Billy Bob Thornton, Patricia Arquette, William Devane

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Sheriff Darl Hardwick
Patricia Arquette	...	Scarlett
William Devane	...	The Judge
Sela Ward	...	Carla Hardwick
Julie Hagerty	...	Sister Felicia
Marcus Lyle Brown	...	Deputy Jackson
Ray McKinnon	...	Deputy C.B.
Tom Bower	...	Bull Hardwick
Audrey Marie Anderson	...	Teenage Waitress
John McConnell	...	Ornell
J.C. Sealy	...	Rhonda Hebert (as J.C. Seally)
Ron Flagge	...	Gooch
Huey Alexander	...	Cletus
Deana Carter	...	Sherry
Mark Krasnoff	...	Squeegee

Storyline

A sheriff (Thornton) begins an investigation into the death of a local transsexual after hearing that high ranking politicians may have been involved. Although he is homophobic, his investigation causes him to be rejected by others, forcing him to seek help from the people he once despised.

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Plot Keywords:

transsexual | hit in the crotch | police detective | new orleans louisiana | neo noir | 

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Taglines:

A small town sheriff. A big city murderer.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 September 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Behind the Badge

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emmett/Furla Films, Millennium Films, Nu Image Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cindy Ingraham who is listed in the credits as "Additional Props" also has the byline on the newspaper article announcing that Judge Pendergast has resigned in the sex scandal.

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Goofs

On the way to New Orleans the camera is visible in the window of Darl's truck.

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Quotes

Sheriff Darl Hardwick: I'm beginnin' to think I liked you a lot better when you used to smoke all that reefer and we'd fuck in your Pinto.

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Crazy Credits

Credits at the beginning of the film use full names for the following people: Audrey Marie Anderson, Marcus Lyle Brown, Bradley Harrison Picklesimer. This differs from the closing credits, which use Audrey Anderson, Marcus Brown, and Bradley Picklesimer. Bradley Picklesimer is mis-credited in both the opening and closing credits and her last name should read Picklesheimer.

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Soundtracks

"Rain So Hard"
Written and Performed by Otis Taylor

User Reviews

An effective thriller.

The Badge is not a film without flaws, but it has some good things about it which throw into question exactly why it failed to get a distribution deal in the States (especially when you consider the cast writer/director Robby Henson managed to assemble).

I particularly liked the character of Sheriff Darl Hardwick, who is played almost flawlessly by Billy Bob Thornton. Hardwick is a deeply flawed man: a hard-drinking, morally questionable homophobe whose philandering has destroyed his family and will, in the course of the film, scupper his chances of re-election as sheriff of a Louisiana town. In many writers' hands Hardwick would be a deeply dislikeable man, but Henson manages to use these character flaws to give depth to Hardwick without demonising him. For all his flaws he's quite a likable guy – it's just his moral compass has gone a little haywire. Thornton – whose features should really have typecast him as a bad guy by now – is perfect casting for the role, and there is no evidence of the fact that he and director Henson repeatedly clashed on set.

The murder of a transsexual triggers an odyssey of revelation/redemption for Hardwick that isn't entirely believable and isn't really satisfactorily resolved, but which provides an absorbing tale nonetheless. It's really just a device to get us under the skin of the principal character, but it has to be said it is a fairly unique murder mystery. The resolution is almost irrelevant, an incidental development designed merely to tie loose strands. Where Henson does go astray – and it seems to be a common flaw in Hollywood pics in which sexual identity plays a part – is that practically all the straight men are presented as corrupt or tarnished in some way, and if they're not they're victims of those who are (e.g. Hardwick's deputy). While this gender stereotyping isn't quite as in your face as it is in, say, Philadelphia, it's still too noticeable to present an unbiased picture. Perhaps that's why I liked the way Hardwick is depicted: the script takes time enough to get under his skin and reveal that he isn't a bad man – he's a fundamentally decent man with prejudices (which, let's face it, most of us are whether we like to admit it or not).