The Badge (2002)

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

With transgender rights issue getting more and more media exposure and opponents saying and doing all kinds of desperate things to prevent them becoming a protected class, the film The Badge assumes a more frightening relevance now than it did in 2002 when it came out as a made for television film.Billy Bob Thornton, sheriff of a rural Louisiana parish catches the case of a young woman found dead near a road after being shot. It's only when the body is brought to the coroner that there's a male body part. In her short life, she presented well in the sex she felt she was meant to be. Thornton is as good an ole boy as you can get. He even threw his gay brother Thomas Haden Church out of the parish. But as he investigates the homicide he steps on some very powerful toes like the local parish boss William Devane. Even his wife Sela Ward who is the local prosecutor disowns after he's framed on a charge of corrupting the morals of a minor.As it is in these cases that only makes him madder. His only allies turn out to be LGBT including Patrica Arquette wife of the deceased.I think native Louisianans will recognize actor Michael Arata as their former Governor Edwin Edwards who was quite the party animal known in the state as the Silver Zipper. There's an election going on and the victim had been one of the women entertaining at a sex party. That's all Arata needs is to get hooked into a sex crime. Through Devane he really puts the squeeze to Thornton.In the end all too sadly transgender people will recognize the motive for the killing. Just the notion of the existence of transgender people freaks a lot of people out. Not to mention then as now the idea of such people demanding equal protection under the law.November 19 every year is the Transgender Day Of Remembrance, a solemn occasion that marks an annual tolling of the roll of new killed members of the community, worse even because law enforcement around the world doesn't take these crimes as seriously as they should, they're all not lawmen like Billy Bob Thornton. This film would be a good one to show at that time and in all kinds of LGBT venues.More relevant now than when it came out.

Well, I have decided watching this film,d despite all the bad critics that IMDb's users have written towards "The Badge". From the get go, I felt surprised that transsexualism was referred in this story, considering the year it has been produced in. Of course, there are some characters that are openly against such decision, but that can be expected even in the current societies. The mystery starts off a little slowly, but after all the characters are introduced, the plot becomes more and more interesting. About the acting, all I can say is that it didn't catch my attention for being good, nor bad; it's just regular as in any low-budget movie. Also, I may agree that there are some confusing moments in the plot, but this film is entertaining enough for what I could expect about it. Maybe an unpretentious watch can turn it into a positive attraction, if you know what I mean.

The movie makes excellent use of its location-filming (Baton Rouge, New Orleans, couple of small towns in between like Donaldsonville). The story is set in a fictional parish of "Le Salle" which is not to be confused with the real-life Parish of La Salle, located in northern part of Louisiana b/w Alexandria and Monroe...As far as the plot goes, it does have some interesting twists, and the cast is quite strong (Thornton, Devane, Ward, et al.)... But when it's all said and done, you look back and realize that *All* of the homosexual, transsexual, crossdresser, transgender, characters are honest, ethically upright, and decent to others. *All* of the sneaky, dishonest, corrupt characters are hetero. The killer is a male, hetero-pervert who peeks at women as they use the bathroom.So if that sounds like real-life to you, the movie should be a real treat...

This film is a solid bit of detective fiction with a Cajun noir flavor to it. Lots of shady characters trying to manipulate folks in order to keep sleazy secrets hidden get in the way of a sometimes earnest but morally mixed-up Louisiana sheriff.If you like Raymond Chandler's stories, this should prove pleasing. Yes, the film is paced slowly, but as the sheriff in hot water finally realizes the only way to regain his honor (and perhaps his job) is by solving the case, the action picks up. Billy Bob Thornton gives another perfect performance, and Patricia Arquette is stronger than ever. Very nice directorial touches balance storytelling and artistry very well.A good evening's entertainment.