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 »
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High powered lawyer Claire Kubik finds her world turned upside down when her husband, who she thought was Tom Kubik, is arrested and is revealed to be Ron Chapman. Chapman is on trial for a... See full summary »
Vincent Lamarca, whose father was executed for a 1950s kidnapping of a child, grew up to become a police officer, only to see his own son become a murderer.
Director:
Michael Caton-Jones
Stars:
Robert De Niro,
Frances McDormand,
James Franco
A DEA agent investigates the disappearance of a legendary Army ranger drill sergeant and several of his cadets during a training exercise gone severely awry.
Director:
John McTiernan
Stars:
John Travolta,
Connie Nielsen,
Samuel L. Jackson
A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit.
Director:
Tony Gilroy
Stars:
Tom Wilkinson,
Michael O'Keefe,
Tilda Swinton
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. Written by
Jason Smith
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. See more »
Goofs
On the way to New Orleans the camera is visible in the window of Darl's truck. See more »
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.
See more »
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. See more »
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).
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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).