''The Badge'' is a 2002 mystery-thriller film directed by
Robby Henson and starring
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...
,
Patricia Arquette
Patricia Tiffany Arquette (born April 8, 1968) is an American actress. She made her feature film debut as Kristen Parker in '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' (1987). Her other notable films include '' True Romance'' (1993), '' Ed ...
and
William Devane
William Joseph Devane (born September 5, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera ''Knots Landing'' (1983–1993) and as James Heller on the Fox serial dramas '' 24'' (2001–2010) and '' ...
.
Release
The Badge was originally intended to be distributed by
Propaganda Films
Propaganda Films was an American music video and film production company founded in 1986 by producers Steve Golin and Sigurjón Sighvatsson and directors David Fincher, Nigel Dick, Dominic Sena and Greg Gold. By 1990, the company was prod ...
, but the production company went bankrupt during the film's
post-production
Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments.
Th ...
.
It was later released on DVD by
Lionsgate Films
Lionsgate Films (formerly known as Cinépix Film Properties) is an American film production and film distribution studio, headquartered in Santa Monica and founded in Canada, and is the flagship division of Lionsgate Entertainment. It is the la ...
.
Synopsis
La Salle Parish, Louisiana sheriff Darl Hardwick investigates the controversial local murder of a
transsexual woman, with the highly sensitive matter being concealed as much as possible by the parish's most influential figures, such figures even going so far as to
frame Hardwick for
statutory rape
In common law jurisdictions, statutory rape is nonforcible sexual activity in which one of the individuals is below the age of consent (the age required to legally consent to the behavior). Although it usually refers to adults engaging in sexual ...
involving a local waitress. With his career as sheriff at an end, Hardwick takes a personal stake in the investigation after becoming acquainted with Scarlett, the victim's widow. Hardwick heads down a somewhat reckless path to an understanding of the victim's world, reconciliation for past sins, and a series of dark truths within the parish itself.
Reception
The Badge holds a 33% rating on
review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, based on six reviews.
Cast
Filming locations
*
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the county seat, parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, E ...
*
Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville (historically french: Lafourche-des-Chitimachas) is a city in, and the parish seat of Ascension Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located along the River Road of the west bank of the Mississippi River, it is a part of the ...
*
Iberville Parish, Louisiana
Iberville Parish (french: Paroisse d'Iberville) is a parish located south of Baton Rouge in the U.S. state of Louisiana, formed in 1807. The parish seat is Plaquemine. At the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 33,387, and 30,241 at the 2020 ...
*
Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
Pointe Coupee Parish ( or ; french: Paroisse de la Pointe-Coupée) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,802; in 2020, its population was 20,758. The parish seat is New Roads.
Poi ...
*
*
Jarreau, Louisiana
External links
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References
2002 films
2002 crime drama films
2002 crime thriller films
2002 LGBT-related films
2000s mystery thriller films
American crime drama films
American crime thriller films
American LGBT-related films
American mystery thriller films
Films directed by Robby Henson
Films shot in France
Films shot in Louisiana
Films shot in New Orleans
Transgender-related films
MoviePass Films films
Gold Circle Films films
2002 drama films
Homophobia in fiction
Films about violence against LGBT people
2000s English-language films
2000s American films
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