| The Big Easy | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jim McBride |
| Screenplay by | Daniel Petrie, Jr. |
| Produced by | Stephen J. Friedman |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Affonso Beato |
| Edited by | Mia Goldman |
| Music by | Brad Fiedel |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8.5 million[1] |
| Box office | $17.6 million[2] |
The Big Easy is a 1986 Americanneo-noir[3]romantic thriller film directed byJim McBride and written byDaniel Petrie Jr. The film starsDennis Quaid,Ellen Barkin,John Goodman, andNed Beatty. The film was both set and shot on location inNew Orleans, Louisiana.[1]
The film was later adapted for atelevision series for two seasons on theUSA Network (1996–1997).
New Orleans police lieutenant Remy McSwain investigates the murder of a localmobster, leading police to suspect a war between two crime families. Anne Osborne, a statedistrict attorney, arrives to investigate alleged police corruption. After seeing firsthand some unorthodox practices by Remy, Anne accuses him of being on the take. He argues that she lacks an understanding of how the system works in New Orleans for police.
Despite Anne's suspicious and apprehensive feelings towards Remy, they form a romantic relationship. When Remy is allegedly caught accepting a payoff in an Internal Affairs sting, a furious Anne has to prosecute him. With Remy's fellow officers' assistance, crucial evidence is destroyed or suppressed, and the charges are dropped, at which point Anne has a conflict between her personal feelings for Remy and her duty to uphold the law.
It is later revealed that Jack Kellom, Remy's boss, who is his mother's fiancé, and detectives De Soto and Dodge are behind the spate of murders to cover their involvement in heroin smuggling from a boat yard. Kellom goes to the boat that has the drugs, where he is confronted by De Soto and Dodge. Kellom suggests dumping the drugs; De Soto and Dodge are strongly opposed, and DeSoto shoots Kellom. Remy and Anne arrive and are confronted by De Soto and Dodge, and a shootout ensues, resulting in De Soto being shot by a fatally-wounded Kellom. Remy shoots Dodge with aflare gun, starting a fire; he and Anne barely escape before the boat explodes. The final scene shows Remy carrying Anne into her apartment, then the two dancing; it appears they were just married.
The original title of the script was "Windy City", and was set inChicago. The title was briefly changed to "Nothing But The Truth".[1] Filming took 50 days and the lead actors rehearsed three weeks before the start of principal photography.[4]
The city ofNew Orleans and its atmosphere feature heavily in the film, which opens with an aerial shot of the New Orleansbayou while thecajun bandBeauSoleil plays "Zydeco Gris Gris" during the title sequence. To flesh out the mood of the film, the producers used well-known locations such as Tipitina's,Antoine's, Blaine Kern's warehouse full ofMardi Gras parade floats, and aFrench Quarter strip joint, t.[1] Well-known New Orleans district attorneyJim Garrison, known for hisKennedy assassination conspiracy theories and his owninvestigation into JFK's murder, makes a cameo appearance as a judge.
The producers usedcajun,zydeco,R&B, andgospel music in the soundtrack. The film's director, Jim McBride, was highly involved in the selection of music, ensuring it was authentic to Cajun culture. An uncredited contributor to the soundtrack was musicianDavid Byrne, who helped McBride locate some of the local artists.[5]
An original motion picture soundtrack album was assembled by label executive Danny Holloway and released in 1987 on theIsland label. The album contains twelve tracks including "Tipitina", played by New Orleans pianistProfessor Longhair (1974 re-recording from his albumRock 'n' Roll Gumbo in the substantially remixed version produced for its 1985 CD reissue),[6] the New Orleans anthem "Iko Iko," byThe Dixie Cups, and a ballad, "Closer to You," written and performed by actor Dennis Quaid who also performs the song in the film. Other performers on the album includeTerrance Simien,BeauSoleil,Buckwheat Zydeco,Dewey Balfa,Aaron Neville andThe Neville Brothers.
The film was first shown in1986 at various film festivals including theCognac Festival du Film Policier, the Davao City Film Festival in thePhilippines, the Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain, and theSundance Film Festival[7] before being picked up for distribution. According toRobert Redford, founder of Sundance,The Big Easy was the first film sold at the festival. Redford tells of draggingDavid Puttnam, then the head ofColumbia Pictures, to see the film. After the screening, Puttnam decided to pick up the movie for distribution.[8] The film was released asThe Big Crackdown in the Philippines by Season Films and Jemah Films on November 5, 1988.[9]
The Big Easy was first released onVHS in 1988 byHBO Video.[10] On February 2, 1999, avideo andDVD of the film were released on theTrimark label as part of the label's "Gold Reel Collection."[11] In 2004, it was re-released on DVD by Cinema Club.[11]
The film had a limited opening on August 21, 1987, and grossed $353,259. It widened a week where its gross was $3,626,031 from 1,138 screens and the total receipts for the run were $17,685,307. In its widest release the film was featured in 1,219 theaters. The motion picture was in circulation five weeks.[2]
The review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes reported that 89% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The critics consensus reads, "Loaded with atmosphere and drenched in the sizzling chemistry between Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin,The Big Easy remains one of the strongest—and steamiest—thrillers of the 1980s."[12] OnMetacritic — which assigns a weighted mean score — the film has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[14]
Roger Ebert, film critic of theChicago Sun-Times, lauded the film, and wrote, "The Big Easy is one of the richest American films of the year. It also happens to be a great thriller. I say 'happens,' because I believe the plot of this movie is only an excuse for its real strength: the creation of a group of characters so interesting, so complicated and so original they make a lot of other movie people look like paint-by-number characters."[15]
Sheila Benson, writing for theLos Angeles Times, wrote, "Screenwriter Daniel Petrie Jr. sets up the conflict, and director Jim McBride fleshes it out with devastating, sexy assurance..."[16]
Film criticVincent Canby was a bit tougher on the film, writing "Remy and Anne are made for each other, or would have been ifThe Big Easy were the sophisticated comedy it could have been...[the film] was directed by Jim McBride who one day is going to come up with a commercial movie that works all the way through, and not just in patches."[17]
Quaid's Cajun accent, which he meticulously researched in preparation for the role, was considered "cringe-inducing" by locals.[18]
The film inspiredits television series, which premiered on theUSA Cable Network August 11, 1996.[21] Tony Crane played McSwain andSusan Walters played Anne Osbourne. There were approximately 35 episodes broadcast over two seasons. AlthoughDaniel Petrie Jr. (who wrote the screenplay to the original film) was credited as an executive producer of the series, Petrie has stated that he was "not at all" involved in the series, receiving only "a credit and money".[22]
A cop and a lady-lawyer caught in an explosive truth of police corruption. Between them lies the fate of the state of New Orleans!
