The Badge (2002)

Another murder mystery

I wish I could give it a three and a half. It is better then average three but not by much.

The story itself has been so often before a twist on mystery murder and the search for whom did it? The twist here is that the one who did it was a transsexual person. I thought the way the final solution was solved was silly. The guy just confessed.

The acting was good mainly because there are a few fine actors in it. April 12, 2008

Case Study of County Politics

This film tells a story about LaSalle Parish in Louisiana (and by extension the rest of America). Sheriff Darryl is shown handling the rigors of his job. Oddly, he carries no pistol - a symbol of lacking something? A truck overturns on a curve, and spills its load of shoes. The poor people show up to carry off their free shoes, recalling that scene in Charles Dickens "Tale of Two Cities". Then a dead body is found, and this scandal should be censored, says the political boss and judge. Sheriff Darryl is visited by an exotic dancer who reports her husband is missing (after dancing at a private club). The rest of the film tells how the murder was solved.

The language and contents of this film would have been banned prior to the 1990s. While "realistic" about the lost souls it portrays, it seems to have no redeeming social values. Yes, it gives a view to politics and personalities not usually seen in films, and which can educate the viewers. The film does not mention the corporations (like Big Oil) that dominated the politics of Louisiana, and other states. We see how the Twin-Party System meets at the top to accomplish its missions. Like in a small county, the heads of the opposing parties meet to divide the spoils. In this film the Governor loses an election. Was he too clean? So a new Administration takes office, and life goes on unchanged. There are some winners and loser, but that's the way the ball bounces. Blaming a small businessman who has a claim against the county seems too cynical.
April 19, 2006

A sleeper with some big-name actors and a plot about confronting one's own demons

(I am slightly confused about why this movie is called "Badge" on Amazon and "The Badge" on IMDb and the rental site Netflix.) That being said...The Badge is a movie about small-town Louisiana politics, about family struggles, about coming to terms with suicidal mothers and homosexual brothers, and about the life-long struggle for justice in crimes against strippers and transsexuals. The plot focuses on the murders of a New Orleans transsexual within the conservative LaSalle parish. The reigning politicos of the parish don't want the alcoholic, local-boy sheriff (played by Billy Bob Thornton) to investigate the matter _too_ seriously and draw too much negative attention to the parish. Sheriff Billy Bob is willing to play along with the game until his party tries to run him off the ticket for the next election.

The action is truly about Billy Bob's sheriff character finding his own true self among the corrupt local and state politicians. He manages both to find himself and to serve justice to the underground sex community (which serves the state politicians in a no-questions-asked deal).

The filmmakers perfectly portray the atmosphere of lose parishes in Louisiana. The viewer will be absorbed into the good-old-boy network of doing business, as well as the desperation of anyone who tries to buck the system or hurt Louisiana's political advancement.

Anyone who enjoys this movie should check out Billy Bob Thornton in the sleeper Chyrstal.
January 15, 2006

Good Movie

Very good who-dun-it movie. It was nice to see New Orleans as it was back before Katrina. October 7, 2005

Compelling Lesson in Tolerance

Billy Bob Thornton is a small-town Louisiana sheriff (with a gay brother in New Orleans he rarely speaks to) who begins investigating the murder of a transvestite in his parish. Political pressure, in this most darkly political state, comes down on him to drop the case, but attracted to the transvestite's wife (Patricia Arquette), he finds he cannot stop.

Glad I accidentally caught this on Starz while traveling. Still haven't talked to anyone who has even heard of it, let alone seen it. But, it's excellent--good plot, generally strong acting, and a memorable lesson about learning to accept the full diversity of humanity. That's more than perhaps 75% of American films today offer.
September 25, 2004

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