The Big Easy

Having just watched my video tape of this film again, I found it is just as enjoyable today as it was back when it was first released. People who live in New Orleans have written that it is unrealistic!! This is news about movies?! If we want realism we can go out our front door and go to any city and run with the cops for a shift. Almost all big cities have ride along programs.

No, this is a FILM. And a good one, perfectly cast. The story of the corruption in a big city police department is a staple of cop films but is done with a fresh set of characters who are believeable.

Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barken are at the top of their career curve and play off each other to great effect. Their steamy love scene is as good as has been done in film.

Many good character actors fill out the rest of the cast and of course the music is just wonderful setting the mood for film. I don't know if this was filmed in New Orleans, but it sure looked like some of the city I visited years ago. I came for a convention and the host committee had some men who spoke just like some of these people in the film. Of course, they were from all the different suburbs and the city too. So maybe some of the critics who live there should get around more.

Just watch and enjoy.

Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin star in "The Big Easy," a 1986 film set in New Orleans, and also starring Ned Beatty, John Goodman, and Grace Zabriskie.

I know an attorney who won a huge civil rights case in New Orleans and then had to run for her life with her family when her life was continuously threatened. The New Orleans police force has the reputation of being the most corrupt police force in the United States. That's saying something.

That corruption is visited here in this story of a mildly corrupt cop Remy (Quaid) investigating a series of murders of low-level drug people. The assigned assistant district attorney, Anne Osborne (Barkin) assumes from the get-go, because of the presence of a cop car at one of the murders, that the police are involved.

That's the background for a hot love affair between these two sexy characters who really steam up the screen. Quaid is delightful as the high-flying Remy, and he gets to show his range as an actor - going from flirtatious playboy to a grief-stricken man. Barkin is perfect as a woman trying to stay professional but finding it nearly impossible.

This film has some serious and disturbing moments, but the locale and the actors infuse it with charm and energy. Well directed by Jim McBride, who keeps up the pace.

Recommended.

The Big Easy is a fairly straightforward thriller about police corruption - a little predictable, but with occasional clever touches - but the apparent chemistry between Quaid and Barkin is outstanding, making this one of the steamiest movies I've ever seen (much hotter than 9 1/2 weeks, and with the benefit of a plot and sympathetic characters). Accents aside (I'm only an occasional visitor to New Orleans, and not qualified to judge), the other performances are also excellent, especially Beatty and Goodman as corrupt cops, and there are also some gut-bustingly funny moments and a wonderful soundtrack. The film may not do justice to modern New Orleans, but then, what movie ever did?

Supposedly a dramatic crime thriller, The Big Easy also is funny at beginning, when a new District Attorney Anne Osbourne (Barkin) sudden arrives at Police department of New Orleans looking for a clue of corruption that involves bribe and something else, Remy McSwain (Dennis Quaid) was part of a long cops's family, always accepting few dollars as "Club of widows & orphans founds", his joyful manner catch the tough one Anne, growing a sexual interest in both.

However Remy was caught in a frame, indicted by accepted bribery, Anne and Remy stays in opposite ways on the Courthouse, she no longer trust him, after some minor adjustments allowed by the corrupt system he was release for lack of proofs, although it wasn't the whole story, endeed The Big Easy is plentiful entertainment , mainly supported by a smart screenplay and a distinct and great southern soundtrack, on Cajun accent, gathered fine veteran actors as Ned Beatty and Marc Lawrence and good newcomers as John Goodman and Gailard Sartain neither, Dennis Quaid made one the biggest acting ever!!

Resume:

First watch: 1993 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.5.

A good cop, who has allowed his principles to be compromised once too often, has it catch up with him amid allegations of internal corruption and what appears to be an impending war between the criminal elements of New Orleans, in 'The Big Easy,' directed by Jim McBride. Dennis Quaid stars as Remy McSwain, an eleven year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, who from the day he joined the force learned that the 'perks' that went along with the job were all just a natural, acceptable part of the way things are done in the city they call The Big Easy. It's just the way it is; and all is well until Assistant District Attorney, Anne Osborne (Ellen Barkin), shows up one day, and becomes inordinately concerned with a recent 'wise guy' murder Remy is investigating. And it isn't long before things start to get a bit sticky for Remy and a few others who suddenly find themselves caught with their fingers in the cookie jar. But there are indications that something is going down at the precinct that is somewhat more serious than the penny-ante graft apparently being enjoyed by a number of New Orleans' finest, and Osborne's job is to get to the bottom of it. Remy, however, doesn't buy the idea that there are 'dirty' cops amongst his own, and quickly puts some moves on Anne to find out what she thinks she knows. And it starts him off along a path which, before it's over, he may wish he hadn't opted to tread.

From the opening credits, as McBride takes you aloft and opens up his camera for a thrilling shot of the bayous and countryside rushing by below (backed by the blood stirring zydeco music that drives the entire film), he saturates the story with an atmosphere that brings New Orleans to life. And the vibrant sights and sounds of the city (including the engaging Creole dialects), are so richly textured that the city itself becomes as much an integral part of the story as many of the characters. As Remy would say in greeting, with his best prepossessing grin in place, 'Where you at, chere?'

And though the story itself is nothing especially original, the lively presentation and the mood McBride sets, as well as some unique characterizations and that special sense of time and place he captures, make it all seem fresh and new. The zydeco music, alone, is a treat and-- like the city-- is something of a character in itself.

Quaid fairly oozes Southern charm as the irrepressible Remy, a guy secure with his world and sure of his place in it. He's obstinate and self-assured, but without being pretentious, which makes it easy to like him. The natural fluidity of his distinct mannerisms and speech give his performance a ring of authenticity that makes Remy very real and entirely believable-- which, of course, adds credibility to the story. The character is a good fit for Quaid, and he definitely makes the most of it.

Barkin does a good job, as well, as Anne, employing her trademark crooked smile to great effect, and she has a genuine chemistry with Quaid that works well for the story. She brings a decided definition to her character, making Anne a woman who is strong without being overconfident, and not immune to vulnerability; it's her very humanness, in fact, that make her so accessible. It's a well rounded performance that allows you to see beneath the facade of the professional cop doing her job, to the very real person within. Barkin plays it all very well, and lets you know that there's more to Anne than meets the eye.

Notable in supporting roles are Grace Zabriskie, as Remy's mother, and Charles Ludlam as Lamar Parmentel. Their performances are great examples of the value of a good character actor, and the significant impact they can have on a film. Far too often they go unnoticed and unappreciated.

The supporting cast includes Ned Beatty (Jack), John Goodman (Andre), Lisa Jane Persky (McCabe), Ebbe Roe Smith (Ed), Tom O'Brien (Bobby), Marc Lawrence (Vinnie the Cannon) and Solomon Burke (Daddy Mention). Like a good bowl of spicy gumbo, 'The Big Easy' packs a wallop and will give you a good helping of satisfying entertainment, well worth the two bucks or so you plunk down for it. And by the time it's over, you'll be calling people 'chere' and fighting the urge to strap a washboard to your chest. So, hey-- where you at? It's the magic of the movies, chere. I rate this one 8/10.