Rating: 
Summary: Overlong but great acting and atmosphere
Review: Not sure why this one was trashed by critics when it came out in 1996. I think maybe they were just looking for a reason to cut loose on Alec Baldwin. Who knows? While no one's idea of a classic, it's still a damn fine little neo-noir thriller. Alec Baldwin does an excellent job in the lead and Eric Roberts just about steals the movie with a characterization that is at once frightening and goofily ingratiating. It's a shame this one was thrown away and abandoned during it's theatrical release because it seems like director Phil Joanou hasn't done much of anything since. That's too bad because he's a great director (see his STATE OF GRACE and FINAL ANALYSIS also). Give it a chance!
Rating:
Summary: Overlong but great acting and atmosphere
Review: Not sure why this one was trashed by critics when it came out in 1996. I think maybe they were just looking for a reason to cut loose on Alec Baldwin. Who knows? While no one's idea of a classic, it's still a damn fine little neo-noir thriller. Alec Baldwin does an excellent job in the lead and Eric Roberts just about steals the movie with a characterization that is at once frightening and goofily ingratiating. It's a shame this one was thrown away and abandoned during it's theatrical release because it seems like director Phil Joanou hasn't done much of anything since. That's too bad because he's a great director (see his STATE OF GRACE and FINAL ANALYSIS also). Give it a chance!
Rating:
Summary: The movie would be much better if followed the book:
Review: Now, I know the above sounds cliche, but in this case, it's really true. I give the movie four stars for atmosphere and for really trying. I watched this movie twice and enjoyed it both times, for the cinematography alone-- which captures everything from the dense, powerful nature of the Louisiana swamps and bayous; to the gothic power of Louisiana Roman Catholic churches; to the cracked, decaying but colorful beauty of New Orleans itself. And where the movie stuck to the book, it was a very good adaptation. Baldwin falls a bit short in his characterization of Robicheaux, looking more often like he was having "digestive" problems than internal angst, but he obviously loves the character and does his best to depict a very internalized personality. Eric Roberts, by no means matching the physically imposing power of the novel's Bubba Rocque, gives his character the dark, attractive charisma and vitality that author James Lee Burke so often infuses the "gray" characters Robicheaux encounters in the novels, and adds some fun and zing to it, as well. Teri Hatcher is damn nasty, beautiful and seductive in the femme fatale role, and Masterson pulls off her role with just the right amount of sympathy and sass (though physically, each actress matches her opposite character in the novel, but it's not a problem here). It's unfortunate that Kelly Lynch doesn't give Robicheaux's doomed wife such memorable character, but in the novel series the character has one entire book behind her before her tragic end. The real problems come with the Hollywood ending-- why they did this instead of the more realistic and affecting ending in the novel, I'll never know (I recommend you read the book to find out-- it's a much more satisfying and telling conclusion). And the connection to the Giacano family, a recurring Robicheaux nemesis in some of the novels, but not the one on which the movie based, was unnecessary. However, the highly action-packed trolley car and rooftop chase, a purely cinematic addition to the novel's plot does work, very well, in my opinion. These kind of additions are needed for the big screen and I appreciated it. Lastly, the production was very good (Baldwin was one of the producers of the film), just as in Baldwin's "The Shadow" movie, which suffered ultimately from a poor script, and I have to commend him-- this movie very much seemed a labor of love. I wish this film had been more successful, because seeing other installments of James Lee Burke's Robicheaux series on the big screen would be very welcome to me, but alas, despite the "good ol' college try" this will never be. But do pick up the movie and watch it for what it does offer, and then get hold of the Burke novels and you'll really be in for a treat.
Rating:
Summary: I really liked this movie and Baldwin holds it together
Review: Overall, I thought this was one of the best crime-genre movies I've ever seen. I feel Baldwin was a good selection to play the main character. Maybe his accent is not perfect, but it ranks among his best performances. It is interesting to watch his subtleties in interacting with different types in the movies, be they cops or criminals. Baldwin is able to combine the strong imposing physical presence and a caring aspect that makes the movie interesting and very entertaining. The cinematography and music score add to the artsy, film-noir ambience. You'll get more out of it after the second or third viewing. I was lucky enough to see it first at the big screen back in '96. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Guys, Listen...
Review: Sure, everyone buys the video for the Teri Hatcher nude scene. You might as well...it did such bad box office that it went straight to TBS (minus nudity)so you won't be recording the unedited original off cable. You could just download the pix from a hundred sites, but dang rabbit, Teri is so sexy in this film that you want to get the whole thing. And while everyone criticizes Alex Baldwin's Cajun accent, Hatcher gets it smooth as silk. Girls, Listen...I didn't read the book. My wife did. And we agreed to see the film after seeing the trailer. She votes thumbs up. As a licensed private detective, I'm not sure I buy the uncoastered Gin Rickey water-mark taste test but, as Johnny Carson liked to say "You buy the premise--you buy the bit." I bought it on VHS.
Rating: 
Summary: A good primer
Review: The best thing that I can say about this movie is that it led me to the incredible series of novels by James Lee Burke featuring Dave Robicheaux, the tortured ex-soldier, ex-detective, ex-drinker, ex-philanderer, ex-etc. Like so many other deep literary character studies, this film version comes off flat and superficial because it dwells on the superficial elements of events and scenery. What makes Burke's novels so great is the psychic depth of the characters. Each character, no matter how minor, has a birthplace, a childhood, memory and environment that informs his or her presence in the story. Even the scenery in his novels has history. There are ways to bring all of this to the screen, but it doesn't happen here. Alec Baldwin made a credible Dave Robicheaux, but the rest of the film is mostly eye candy, with the exception of Hawthorne James as the scary assassin. James must have read the book. One reviewer said it was a good way to capture the atmosphere of the novels. A better way is to visit New Iberia and spend an afternoon on the chamber of commerce's "Dave Robicheaux Tour."
Rating:
Summary: This movie is good because of Teri Hatcher.
Review: This is an ok movie. I watched it only because it had Teri Hatcher in it. Alec Baldwen is pretty good in it also. PS.-Teri Hatcher gets fully nude in this video. Get i
Rating: 
Summary: Better then Jole Blone
Review: This is an outstanding movie-if- you know how to watch it! The Cajun life is very different from what most folks think and this flick was made to the Cajun Standard. We ain't talken Miami Vice here. Even the inbred,line bred villins did an exceptional job. Eddie Keech and Victor Ramono looked as if they were born with 8 count shrimp in their mouth. The BB King Blues music in the bars was alright but there could of been some Androux Bordoux music instead as so the movie could really live up to what they were trying to reproduce. I think all the cast did a good job (next time use some Buyoo stand-ins). Overall this movie is about the best Cajun movie around. I put it right up there with the 1974 hit "Hard Times"with Charles Bronson and Robert Tessier!
"ENJOY"
Rating:
Summary: A very underrated movie.
Review: This is quite simply a 4-star production of a 5-star book. Many people only rented a copy to fast forward straight to the Teri Hatcher nude scene, while some actually wanted to see the screen adaptation of a wonderful book by James Lee Burke. Many seem to attack Alec Baldwin's portayal of the lead character, Dave Robicheaux, but I actually think he did a very respectable job. Sure his Cajun accent wasn't 100% dead on, but that isn't all that makes a character. The Robicheaux character, throughout the series of books, is a flawed character that is full of heart and that is exactly how it comes across on-screen. It seems as if every other role was perfectly cast, especially the role of Claudette (played by Teri Hatcher). Every last detail is done perfectly, from the accent down to the sultry demeanor. The plot brings plenty of action scenes, with many scenes that bring out emotion. If the production studio hadn't been nearly broke when this movie was made (and subsequently put on the shelf for a couple of years), therefore going vastly unpublicized, it would have been more successful at the box office. Don't let the numbers fool you, this is quite a film. The Teri Hatcher balcony scene sure helps too!
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