Product Description

Smalltown louisiana sheriff darl must put aside his own personal prejudices when he must investigate the murder of a transgender lingerie model found in the swamp. Darl teams up with the victims wife scarlett a stripper who provides his ticket into a strange sexual underworld. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 05/25/2004 Starring: Billy Bob Thornton Sela Ward Run time: 103 minutes Rating: R

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51843 in DVD
• Brand: Lions Gate
• Released on: 2003-01-14
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 103 minutes

Customer Reviews

Politics and family - southern style...
Reminiscent of "Monster's Ball" once again Billy Bob Thornton plays a man who is forced to confront his prejudices and deal with the idiosyncrasies of his dysfunctional family members in "The Badge", to be released in September, DVD to soon follow, no doubt.

Thornton's homophobic character (Darl Hardwick), following in the footsteps of his father, Bull, (Tom Bower), wears the badge of sheriff in the LeSalle parish in Louisiana.

In addition to his hard-drinking father, Darl's family consists of: estranged wife, Carla (Sela Ward) [in what may be one of the most bizarre casting decisions ever made], who just happens to be the local district attorney; daughter Ashley (Jena Malone); and brother David (Thomas Hayden Church), ran out of the parish by Billy Bob. LeSalle is populated by sharply drawn characters that embody all that is the deep south: Sister Felicia (Julie Haggarty); corrupt Judge Pendergast (William Devane); Ornell, the owner of a gas station with a pay phone in front; and once again Billy Bob's friend from Arkansas, Rick Dial, appears in the character of Doc, local M.E. of sorts.

As a small-town sheriff fighting big-time crooked politics, so prevalent in deep south, as well as his own dissolving reputation and narrow-minded bigotry, Hardwick becomes entangled in solving the case of the death of a transsexual, Mona, from New Orleans. Murdered in the swamps of his jurisdiction, embracing a life-style that he loathes, and carrying baggage of her own, as well as a Jesus tattoo, Mona in death becomes the leader of Hardwick's journey through the colorful streets of New Orleans, the gaudy transvestite clubs, and into the company of a stripper called Scarlett (Patricia Arquette).

As the investigation continues, the entanglements of dirty politicians, the untangling of years-old family conflicts, and a clearer understanding of those who populate the sex-conflicted world of the victim, the Sheriff finds more than the killer. He finds within himself a kinder man. A man who can not only accept others as they are, but a man who has a better understanding of himself as well.

Dithering about the main plot there is; shoe-thievery, a 'born-again' fighting again the impending construction of a local casino (assisted by the Sheriff's father armed with a shotgun and decked out in Indian head-dress), the loss of the sheriff's sunglasses, and other local small town intrigues and interactions.

This film richly populated with interesting and vivid characters presents a whodunit (the resolution of which isn't all that easy to see coming), and treats us to great Louisiana music and local New Orleans scenery. As always, Billy Bob Thornton 'becomes' his character. He settles into the sheriff's uniform, and the less than admirable psyche of his character as if he were born there, and then every so subtly unveils the changed man. All made to look so easy we each think we could be actors ourselves.

If you're a Billy Bob Thornton or Patricia Arquette fan, or you just enjoy a good murder mystery with atmosphere so thick you can feel the suck of the swamp, you will want to get a copy of this DVD as soon as it is released.

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.

Thought provoking theme but a but a bit oversimplified.
Billy Bob Thornton stars in this this 2002 TV movie that is now available on DVD. He's cast as a sheriff in a small Louisiana town and he has lots of personal problems. It seems that a woman is found dead. But when the coroner examines her, he discovers it's really a man. Now the plot thickens as the politicos want to keep the fact of this transvestite being murdered in their town out of the papers. This is not going to happen though because Patricia Arquette shows up looking for the murdered person as she considers herself the murdered person's "wife". In spite of pressure of leaving the investigation alone, Billy Bob travels to New Orleans where Patricia Arquette works in a men's bar. There's more to the story of course and a lot of subplots. Eventually, of course, justice prevails.

I consider Billy Bob Thornton a fine actor. His presence alone brings up the quality of this film and the theme was a bit thought provoking. I could never consider this a work of art but I enjoyed the experience of watching it.