Alec Baldwin, Badja Djola, Eric Roberts

Ex-detective Dave Robicheaux has made a new life for himself and his wife Annie running a bait shop in the outskirts of New Orleans. When they save a little girl, the sole survivor of a plane crash, t...( read more  read more... )heir lives become forever changed. They take the orphan child into their home and prepare to raise her. However, a visit from DEA agent Dautrieve brings out the detective instincts in Robicheaux and he begins to ask about the rest of the passengers. This brings trouble to Robicheaux and he turns to drug lord Bubba Rocque, a childhood friend. But the friendship becomes estranged when an assault on the Robicheaux home leaves one victim...Annie.

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27% liked it

1,315 ratings

R

Directed by: Phil Joanou

Release Date: May 17, 1996

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DVD Release Date: October 7, 2003

Stats: 60 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (60)


  • June 30, 2009
    Heaven's Prisoners (1996)

    What is it about Alec Baldwin avoiding franchises? He could have so easily continued playing Jack Ryan after the "Hunt for Red October" or he could have continued playing Lamont Cranston, AKA "The Shadow" and then there's Dave Robicheaux in James Lee B...( read more)urke's "Heaven's Prisoners". Burke is a prolific writer that has over 20 Dave Roicheaux mysteries. If this movie had been any good, we may have seen more of his books come to the silver screen. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

    Heaven's Prisoners is the second in the series of novels. Dave is a recovering alcoholic, and former Homicide detective from New Orleans. Now he runs a bate shop in New Iberia, Louisiana. He and his Wife, Annie (Kelly Lynch) were fishing when a plane crashes in the bayou. Dave dives in and is able to rescue only a little girl. Thinking that she's only an illegal alien, Dave and Annie secretly adopt her.

    It turns out that the plane was doing more than sneaking in illegals, but was involved in a big drug smuggling operation too. This brings in a DEA agent and various dangerous gangsters including one of Dave's old highschool friends, Bubba Rocque (Eric Roberts). His hot, sexy Wife, Claudette (Teri Hatcher) is more than a handful too.

    Of course a lot of people will watch this movie just to see Teri Hatcher's full frontal nude scene. Yes, she looks pretty spectacular, but it's very quick and she's done better nude scenes in "The Cool Surface", so if this is your only reason for renting this movie, don't bother. This movie doesn't have very much action, (there's some gun battles, car chases, and a hot pursuit on the tin roofs of the New Orleans slums), but what it misses in action, it more than makes up for in atmosphere (as the book does).

    I'm a big fan of Alec Baldwin, especially back when he was young, thin, and handsome. But even with the great cast and the fantastic author, this movie doesn't really hit the mark, somehow. The James Lee Burke books are fantastic too, and really show us a South that fits a film noir detective movie, but somehow this just didn't work here and came off as clichéd. A common opinion has been that we've seen all of this before, but by much better movies.

    I've always had this thing against New York actors and actresses doing southern parts, too. They go over-the-top with the slow, syrupy southern drawls and sort of make the whole movie a cliché, and it really shows in "Heavens Prisoners". Well New Orleans might be a bit different case, as those Cajuns sort of have a Northeastern twang to their speech. It must be that Quebecer heritage of theirs.

    If you're a James Lee Burke fan, or Alec Baldwin fan, you might enjoy this movie, as I did, otherwise, you might be kind of disappointed.
  • September 15, 2008
    So-so thriller...way too long at nearly 2 1/4 hours. Of interest: Teri Hatcher does brief full-frontal nudity. Not my thing, but others might appreciate it.
  • May 12, 2008
    Review will be written when/if re-watched (Probability: Zero).

    First viewing: 25.01.1998
  • May 2, 2008
    Despite the plot synopsis which is more of a bad movie review...this film seems interesting.
  • February 10, 2008
    Alec Baldwin gives an outstanding performance as ex-cop who finds himself drawn back into the sleazy underworld of New Orleans when a plane crashes in the waters near his bait shop. Adapted from the hardboiled detective novel by James Lee Burke, the film is deliberate in its pace...( read more) and may disappoint some viewers, but excellent performances, stylist direction and a blue-powered soundtrack make it a rich character study in a mystery setting.
  • January 14, 2008
    I am apparantly in the minority - I loved this movie! Eric Roberts was Fantastic!!!
  • November 3, 2007
    very strong performances from alec baldwin as an ex cop down on his luck who quit his drinking problem a year ago and is finding returement a bit uncomfortable and lost his wife to some thugs who killed her one night and eric roberts as a mob boss who is old friends with alec bad...( read more)win's charcater and a sexy perofrmance from terri hatcher. a good story and wonderfully executed.

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  • In this movie Alec Baldwin played a brutal cop after the bad guys killed his wife in here bedroom.  Answer »

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