The Badge (2002)

Sheriff Hardwick investigates the death of Mona, a transexual woman. The judge asks that the case is archived to prevent it impacting the upcoming elections, but the evidence keeps coming in.

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 trans individual 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:

murder | corruption | morgue | framed for rape | widow | 

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Taglines:

A small town sheriff... A big city murder

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexual content

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

When Darl is talking with Carla outside her house, the door of Carla's car changes from opened to closed several times.

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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

In the German end credits, Julie Hagerty's name is spelled "Julie Haggerty".

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Soundtracks

Lonesome Road
Performed by Junior Kimbrough
Remix by Grassy Knoll
Published by Big Legal Mess Publishing BMI
Administered by Wixen Music Publishing
Courtesy of Fat Possum Records and Sixty One Sixty Eight.com

User Reviews

Pi on "The Badge"

Billy Bob Thornton plays Darl, a homophobic sheriff in Louisiana who finds himself trying to solve the murder of a trans-gender lingerie model named Mona. Mona is survived by his / her wife Scarlett, played by Patricia Arqueutte. At first, Darl is apathetic and indifferent about the case, allowing his prejudices to cloud is professional duties. Complication matters is the fact that the office of sheriff is up for re-election, and the Mayor has decided to run another candidate for the job, unseating Darl as he had done to Darl's father years before. The movie has an excellent plot, and benefits from strong performances from William Devane (who plays the Mayor) and of course from Thornton himself.

Badge is more than just a who-dunnit. It is also a glimpse into a part of our society that many people never see. Don't miss "The Badge". 8/10

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)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$97,080

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films (EFO Films), Millennium Films, Propaganda Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1