Louisiana is one of the most popular shooting locations for Hollywood productions. Due to its exotic multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-racial population, long history, exotic music and cuisine, it is also popular setting for plots of said productions. However, potentials of Louisana aren’t always used well, like in the case of Heaven’s Prisoners, 1996 crime drama directed by Phil Joanou.
The film is based on the eponymous novel, second in the long-running series written by James Lee Burke. Its protagonist, played by Alec Baldwin, is Dave Robicheaux, former police detective from New Orleans. Violent incident and drinking problems ended his career. The plot begins when Robicheuax, who has been sober for three years, lives quiet life in swamps of Iberia Parish with his wife Annie (played by Kelly Lynch). This idyll is interrupted when he witnesses small plane crashing in the water. He manages to rescue the only survivor, young Salvadoran girl Alafar (played by Samantha Lagpacan) and decides to adopt her. DEA agent Minos P. Dautrieve (played by Vondie Curtis Hall) informs him that the plane, apart from carrying illegal immigrants, also had passenger who was federal informant and obvious assassination target. Robicheaux now knows that his new family might be next so he goes to his childhood friend and local drug boss Bubba Rocque (played by Eric Roberts) who claims that he had nothing to do with it. He nevertheless becomes target of intimidation and decides to find whoever was involved. In doing so, he gets help from Robin Gaddis (played by Mary Stuart Masterson), former girlfriend who now works as stripper. His efforts will get complicated after he meets Bubba’s sultry wife Claudette (played by Teri Hatcher) who apparently has her own agenda with former policeman.
Apart from somewhat unconventional protagonist, a former detective struggling with alcoholism and demons of his past, Heaven’s Prisoners featured large number of characters that were unusual and looked exotic even when they were nominally stereotypes. Unfortunately, script by Harley Peyton and Scott Frank made the plot look too complicated. Director Joanou took this as an excuse to make this film very long, but even couple of sometimes impressive action scenes couldn’t prevent audience feel boredom at certain points. The cast, however, did very well with what it was given, especially Baldwin who was very good in displaying thin line between tough macho swagger and deep vulnerability, especially in the opening scene that takes place in church. Eric Roberts, who appears relatively little in this film, is also good playing the character that was supposed to be villain, while Mary Stuart Masterson, one of the most underrated actresses of her generation, has good fun playing stripper that tries to go straight. Teri Hatcher, which briefly appears naked in the film, is good in the role of femme fatale. Unfortunately, her efforts won’t rescue this film from sinking into mediocrity. In 2009 Heaven’s Prisoners got sequel in the form of In the Electric Mist, much better film directed by famous French film maker Bertrand Tavernier and starring Tommy Lee Jones.
RATING: 4/10 (+)
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