Heaven’s Prisoners

Sometimes you have to disconnect the critical part of your brain when you go to the movies. Just kick back and enjoy the show. Steady pacing and well-placed action sequences can cover for what’s lacking. No need to dwell on improbable plot points and campy acting. Heaven’s Prisoners is one of those movies. I still find it to be an entertaining crime-thriller despite its obvious flaws.

Ex-cop Dave Robicheaux (Alec Baldwin) has left behind The Big Easy and retired to New Iberia where he runs a bait shop with his wife Annie (Kelly Lynch). Dave and Annie’s quiet life is interrupted after witnessing a plane crash in the bayou. Dave manages to rescue the sole survivor, an orphaned girl from El Salvador. Unable to locate the girl’s family, Dave and Annie take her home. A DEA agent pays Dave a visit and probes him about the crash. Dave plays it cool, but the detective in him won’t let it go, so he starts asking his own questions. His snooping gets him tuned-up by a couple of thugs who work for local drug lord, and Dave’s childhood pal, Bubba Rocque (Eric Roberts).

Bubba promises Dave he’s not involved, but Dave has his suspicions. Against Annie’s wishes, he digs deeper, becoming a one-man-gang in search of the truth. Dave’s hotheaded behavior makes him a target. One rainy night three killers descend on Dave’s bayou home with tragic results. Pushed over the edge, Dave unleashes a reign of vengeance leaving a trail of bodies. The end of the trail leads back to Bubba Rocque and his sultry, power-hungry wife, Claudette (Teri Hatcher).

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Based on James Lee Burke’s pulp novel, Heaven’s Prisoners is reminiscent of the hard-boiled crime dramas from the 40s and 50s. Alec Baldwin is effective playing a relentless tough-guy who won’t stop until he gets what he wants. Mary Stuart Masterson offers much needed comic relief portraying Dave’s ex-flame, Robin. Teri Hatcher also prances around nude, shrewdly drawing attention away from her brutal Cajun accent. The film doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. If you’re looking for mindless fun give it a shot.