Genres

Visitors Review

Andy 2013-05-23 06:32:32

If I can't have you, can I at least have my gator?

Let me begin by saying that it took me three times to finish this film.I am a strong believer that if a film takes three days to finish, oryou find yourself constantly glancing at your watch, then the film haslost you. You are not interested in the movie any longer, all you wantis for the film to end. Quick and simple, you have better things to dotoday.To begin, I couldn't stand Quaid's accent. I realize that we are deepinto the world of Louisiana, but it almost felt forced from Quaid. Itfelt as if he had been practicing all night, only to forget most of itin the morning and continue to "try" to do his best. Second, thechemistry between Barkin and Quaid seems forced as well. Neither one ofthem seem to be in love, it just seems like it is more a conveniencerelationship then a full fledged love affair. I have trouble believingthat a couple is going to be happy together after just spending anevening together at a bar OR that a love could form when you are tryingto convict the man on corruption charges. I felt that some sort ofethics question should have been brought up, but it wasn't. The secondary characters in this film made no sense either. I didn'tcare, or know, who Bob, Dick, or Jane were in the background of thisfilm. I did notice John Goodman playing a small part ... but he hasdone better. I felt that with this film, the director had swayed fromthe overall point of the film. Jim McBride tried to bring a story ofromance with the backdrop of crime in the unlikely of places. What wasactually created was a "gumbo" style of film. Tons of differentelements combined in the same bowl, only to create some sense of spiceand uneven texture. I think something was missing when they were trying to establish asense of family bond between all the major characters, but I stilldidn't realize that Ned Beatty was trying to marry Quaid's mother. Inthe middle of the film that hit me hard ... too hard. I felt at timesthat this film was similar to watching a very cheap, and un-mutant likeversion of X-Men. I could see Quaid doing Gambit, but it would havebeen sloppy and poor. Perhaps I was hoping that somewhere in the middleof this film Quiad would turn into Gambit and perhaps ... just perhaps... throw some of those explosive cards at everyone around him. Chaoscould have been better created than this film. Finally, I would like to end on a note of science. If you are in a biggun battle at the very end, the climax is about to come (as horrible asthat just sounded), and the last of the bad guys is about to get theircome-uppins please DO NOT ever shoot at bags of cocaine. Do you knowwhy? Because they will explode upon impact of any bullets. Did you knowthat? I would have to say that that is the only history I learned, orwas willing to learn, during this film. Grade: * out of *****

gazzo-2 2013-05-22 14:21:16

Pretty good entry from those late '80s neo-noir flix.....

.....you know like this and 'Black Widow', 'Fatal Attraction' and 'Noway Out'--a boomlet c.87 that didn't last that long. Nice try though atleast......I liked this over-all, though what doesn't really work:unclear plotline of baddies-you lose track of what mob guy did what to who, justnames, we never see them in action. Accents slip and slide in and outtafocus, stop trying to be a cajun if you can't do it, no one will mind.And the plausibility that Quaid and Barkin would fall for each other sofast/stay together despite the arrest and etc--well you get the point.Yah it's just a movie.What works--great background music, on-site filming, nice turns byBeatty and Persky, fun to see John Goodman as the baddie-no red herringthere, pre-Roseanne even-and of course, the performances by Quaid andBarkin are indeed very good. I bought their chemistry, and yes I do seewhy this (briefly) made her into a star. This and 'Sea of Love' though,seem to be about her only hits; plenty more work followed but nothingwe notice per se.Check it out--it rambles a bit and you get tired of some of theplot-twists, but it is worthy of your time.*** outta ****

2013-05-19 21:30:35

A little Nostalgia

My girlfriend thought highly of this film. So for Christmas, I got it for her. The story is kind of hokey, and the acting is a little subpar, but being a fan of the city of New Orleans... I couldn't help but be anamored of the way they use the city and the fantastic coordination of the soundtrack... enhancing the overall feeling of things. Dennis Quaid has been better, but he's fun to watch, as a young detective who comes face-to-face with the true meaning of graft and corruption. I like the overall feeling of the film. I love the town and the state of Louisiana... how every day seems like a party and the simplicity of the hours. Maybe the film wasn't great... but it is a great reminder of the days I spent in Louisiana last year and how much I want to go back!!! Arkangel Traven8@hotmail.com

2013-05-19 03:52:35

Oh Yeah. Good Action. Good Love Story.

This review is from: The Big Easy (DVD) This is New Orleans, or across the river, Algiers.Dennis and Ellen really have chemistry in this film.Good plot (with a couple of holes) and good acting.Buy used and you won't be disappointed.

2013-05-18 07:32:34

The Big Easy

This review is from: The Big Easy (DVD) i enjoyed the film as much as I had expected ,from the memory that I had of it in the past. I am very pleased with the service that Amazon offersl

Jackson Booth-Millard 2013-05-17 11:17:12

The Big Easy

I will start by saying that I didn't pay full attention to this filmwhile watching, I was doing something else at the same time, but to behonest it didn't look all that engaging anyway, but I tried my best.Basically in New Orleans, lieutenant in Homicide, Det. Remy McSwain(Dennis Quaid) is investigating a series of gang killings in he city,and at the same time being followed by beautiful attorney Anne Osborne(Ellen Barkin). As the killings continue he starts a relationship withher, and he ends up in the court charged with accepting bribes, whilethe criminals are obviously still on the loose. After a series ofchatty scenes are a small chase or two, we find out in the end that thebad guys are actually cops, one being Det. Andre DeSoto (John Goodman),but they get their comeuppance, and Remy and Anne go on together. Alsostarring Ned Beatty as Jack Kellom, Ebbe Roe Smith as Det. Ed Dodge,Lisa Jane Persky as Det. McCabe, Thomas O'Brien as Bobby McSwain, JimGarrison as Judge Garrison and Carol Sutton as Judge Raskov. Quaid wasreasonable, as was Barkin, and I guess there was a spark between them,and Goodman did okay in his moments, apart from the courtroom anddockyard scenes there were not many highly engaging moments, but what Ipaid some attention to was relatively interesting, in my opinion, analright crime thriller. Worth watching!

2013-05-12 05:49:25

Short changed

This movie is so good that even cutting the hospital scene from the ending didn't ruin it. Didn't help it either. You really need to see Remy in that hospital gown! I've kept my VHS version until I can find a DVD version with the better ending.

2013-05-11 23:37:43

The Big Easy

This review is from: The Big Easy (DVD) Dennis Quaid is very sexy. I now understand that this movie has a basis in fact about New Orleans police corruption. This was a good movie for the price at $5.79 and the music was good. I probably will not watch it more than once because of its subject matter.

homespun13 2013-05-10 22:59:19

Delivers true romance and great music

This movie was an unexpected delight. In general, I don't likethrillers or suspense, so I braced myself for something that would notbe to my taste. Was I ever wrong! The moment the opening credits cameon with that wonderful music playing, I knew I would love this film.Although I didn't meet anybody in New Orleans who talked like DennisQuaid did in this movie, and his portrayal of Rennie McSwain came offas something of a caricature, I still found him extremely enjoyable towatch and as a leading man, he was as sexy as a romantic hero can be.Ellen Barkin was great as the leading lady. The suspense part of theplot was perhaps the weakest part, but the romantic storyline wasperfect. The music was so great, it made everything work. Yes, themovie makers made some mistakes with their geography, but that wascompletely forgivable, as the overall film was such a delight to watch.And few movies nowadays have such a great soundtrack as this movie has.A true delight, this will be a timeless classic.

2013-05-10 06:12:08

the big easy

a wonderful atmospheric story that will keep your attention all the way through. it is not a routine shoot em up but a story that develops and twists and turns throughout. this coupled with the wonderful soundtrack some of which is sang by none other than mr quaid himself makes this a film that you will want to watch again ang again.

Michael Neumann 2013-05-08 09:33:46

routine action-romance in a vivid setting

The Bayou comes alive with Wiseguy bullets and romantic sparks in thisoccasionally smoldering romantic thriller, starring Dennis Quaid as aless than scrupulous New Orleans detective investigating a series oflocal Mafia murders, while having both his conscience and his libidoaroused by sultry District Attorney Ellen Barkin. The familiar detailsof Southern vice and depravity are shaded with plenty of Cajun colorand brought to life by a supporting cast of offbeat characters, butunderneath all the incidental scenery is a routine action scenario notfar enough removed from any other conventional Hollywood cop show. Evenworse: the very real erotic tension between the two lovers is allowedto fizzle after only one kiss, transforming tough, resourceful DABarkin into little more than a lovestruck puppy dog and thereby all buteliminating her from the plot. It never shows enough ambition toqualify as a bad movie, but too many wasted opportunities can't helpbut leave an aftertaste of mild disappointment.

2013-05-08 00:58:57

Incredible!

A really great film. Dennis Quaid gives a good performance as Remy, but the film belongs to Ellen Barkin. She gives a great, firey Oscar caliber performance. Great music, and great action. A great american film!!

2013-05-05 17:23:31

Suspenseful. Cajun. Slick. Deadly.

This film is a drama in the classic sense of the word: it begins in order and ends in disorder. And it occurs against the backdrop of N'awlins - the Big Easy. You can almost hear the nightly raindrops spattering on the greasy sidewalks.Dennis Quaid is a good cop walking the fine line between integrity and corruption - playing at the edges. Too cute by half. His winning, seductive, boyish smile and easy charm make him a perfect foil for the career minded, straight-laced Assistant District Attorney (Ellen Barkin). But the truth is elusive in New orleans. Things aren't always what they seem and somewhere along the line, choices will be made. Big choices. In the Big Easy. Someone's likely to pay the price. A Big Price.The film starts out light and breezy but quickly turns dark and sinister when the plot thickens and danger strikes too close to home. The leads are engaging and winning. The plot is predictable but engaging. And the mood is dark, like New Orleans herself, at night, in the rain, spattering on the greasy sidewalk...

Pauline Berry 2013-05-05 08:41:36

Best screen chemistry ever

I loved this film. I stumbled on the premiere in the 80's andthoroughly enjoyed it. Bought it on DVD recently and loved it just asmuch. Ellen Barkin's character is so lovable and Dennis Quaid isperfectly cast and perfectly charming. This is a totally lovable filmbut it also is of course, a cop drama, which is another very believableaspect of the plot. I found the drama part of it perfectly knittedtogether. To me though I am sold on the screen chemistry between Barkinand Quaid. The most genuinely erotic love scene ever, just a smidgenahead of Lopez and Clooney in "Out of Sight". This film draws you inand on top if it all, thank goodness, it has a good heart.

2013-05-05 04:23:45

Good Story but the Surround Sound effects don't hold up

Liked the story and the acting was good. Video quality was of couse perfect with DVD but the normally expected surround sound effects and stereo just didn't hold up. Almost mono with most sound coming from the center speaker. Suggest this movie for content but it's no Top Gun or Twister for audiofiles.

2013-05-04 10:53:11

Easy is great

This review is from: The Big Easy (DVD) Have seen it many times on TV but I really like owning my own so I can watch it anytime I want. Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkan are both so hot in this

Boba_Fett1138 2013-05-01 15:28:34

Not that interesting.

It's not a horrible movie, just one of those movies that will leave aredundant impression. It's a movie you can easily do without.Disappointing, since I always heard good things about this movie.Somewhere in this movie there is a story about police corruption and afaked gang-war but it all feels so disconnected and not developed wellenough that you just never start to care about any of it. The movie ismostly about the Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin romance. I wouldn't saythat the chemistry between them is anything too great, also since theirentire romance seems to be sex-based above anything else really. Notreally the actors fault of course, since they are obvious capable ones.The movie just perhaps didn't had the greatest casting.Dennis Quaid seems to pick up and drop his New Orleans accent randomly.It's annoying when he in the one sequence speaks with a fat accent,while in the other he speaks in his own way.I blame mostly director Jim McBride. He's also a director that justnever broke through and mostly works for TV productions and directsmusic clips. The directing makes the story looses its focus on its mainstory, which often just drifts away. It has as a result that nothingever really fully works out in the movie, including its climax. But theworst thing about the entire movie was its action. This seriously wassome of the worst action and definitely action-editing it had ever seenin my life. It's the sort of stuff that will make you laugh instead andmakes you wonder; now what the bleep was that? Like Ed Wood had risenfrom the grave.The movie gets mostly saved by the fact that its a rather light one,with light characters and dialog, which makes sure that the movie formost part remains an enjoyable one to watch, despite all of its flawsand weaknesses.Just not a movie I would like to watch again.5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

2013-05-01 09:33:55

Exciting, fun movie

This review is from: The Big Easy (DVD) Loved this movie. The music, actors and story was great. It was fun and exciting to watch. Wish it didn't have to end. Truly enjoyed watching Dennis Quaid in action. LOVED this movie.

blanche-2 2013-04-27 10:35:35

The New Orleans police force on display

Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin star in "The Big Easy," a 1986 film setin New Orleans, and also starring Ned Beatty, John Goodman, and GraceZabriskie.I know an attorney who won a huge civil rights case in New Orleans andthen had to run for her life with her family when her life wascontinuously threatened. The New Orleans police force has thereputation of being the most corrupt police force in the United States.That's saying something.That corruption is visited here in this story of a mildly corrupt copRemy (Quaid) investigating a series of murders of low-level drugpeople. The assigned assistant district attorney, Anne Osborne (Barkin)assumes from the get-go, because of the presence of a cop car at one ofthe murders, that the police are involved.That's the background for a hot love affair between these two sexycharacters who really steam up the screen. Quaid is delightful as thehigh-flying Remy, and he gets to show his range as an actor - goingfrom flirtatious playboy to a grief-stricken man. Barkin is perfect asa woman trying to stay professional but finding it nearly impossible.This film has some serious and disturbing moments, but the locale andthe actors infuse it with charm and energy. Well directed by JimMcBride, who keeps up the pace.Recommended.

2013-04-27 05:26:37

Not Quite So Big As I Remember

I used to have this on VHS and adored it- it's a terrific film, with an unbeatable combination of twisty plot, stars that have incredible chemistry, and spicy music.... and yet when I watch it on DVD I find five minutes of the ending has just disappeared into the great old void at the editing room. Does anyone know why this part has been cut? It doesn't seem to make much sense, as without it, the conclusion of the film is very abrupt and disjointed... it's amazing the difference that one tiny little scene makes!Don't give up your VHS copy just yet- not until those editors find that damn five minutes and put 'em back in where they belong!