Heaven's Prisoners (1996)

16% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
25% of users liked it
(1,817 ratings)

An ex-cop trying to stay away from trouble finds it literally crashing into his backyard in this crime thriller. Dave Robicheaux (Alec Baldwin) is a former New Orleans police detective who, after kicking an addiction to alcohol and confronting some serious problems with his partners, has left law… More An ex-cop trying to stay away from trouble finds it literally crashing into his backyard in this crime thriller. Dave Robicheaux (Alec Baldwin) is a former New Orleans police detective who, after kicking an addiction to alcohol and confronting some serious problems with his partners, has left law enforcement behind to run a bait shop in a small Louisiana bayou town. One day, Dave and his wife Annie (Kelly Lynch) see a small plane plummet from the sky and crash into the swamp; the pilot dies, but Dave is able to rescue a young Hispanic girl from the wreckage. Dave and Annie take the child in, but as they try to find out more about the plane crash and who the little girl might be, they discover that she's actually an illegal alien from Salvador and that the pilot was involved with a local drug ring. Dave, constitutionally unable to let a mystery go unsolved, begins asking enough questions and making enough trouble that he finds himself on the bad side of his old High School friend Bubba Rocque (Eric Roberts). Bubba is a local crime boss who controls the area's drug traffic, keeps a boxing ring in his front yard, and has a wife Claudette (Teri Hatcher) who enjoys greeting her guests naked. Dave's inquiries eventually become too much for Bubba and his henchmen, and in the midst of a violent raid on their home, Annie is killed. Dave becomes obsessed with bringing Bubba and his men to justice and gets some unexpected help from Robin Gaddis (Mary Stuart Masterson), an exotic dancer with a heart of gold. While it was originally scheduled for release in 1994, Heaven's Prisoners didn't arrive on theater screens until two years later, by which time Teri Hatcher had risen to stardom on the TV series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 15 min.
Directed By: Phil Joanou
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: May 17, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Oct 7, 2003
Studio: New Line Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Mike Clark, USA Today
[A] bayou slog.
Clint Morris, Moviehole
Baldwin needs to fire his manager
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Baldwin is shockingly uninteresting, walking through this role... or should I say sweating, for Dave is covered in perspiration in practically every scene.
Greg Muskewitz, eFilmCritic.com
A humid and sweaty potboiler that fritters away the potential to be hot and steamy.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dean M

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 and… More
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 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.
Deb S

Ex-cop and ex-alcoholic Dave Robicheaux (Alec Baldwin) and his wife Annie (Kelly Lynch) move to the Bayou where they open up a bait shop and seem to be living the perfect life. One day while the couple are out on the Bayou a plane crashes nearby their boat. Dave goes in to try and… More
Ex-cop and ex-alcoholic Dave Robicheaux (Alec Baldwin) and his wife Annie (Kelly Lynch) move to the Bayou where they open up a bait shop and seem to be living the perfect life. One day while the couple are out on the Bayou a plane crashes nearby their boat. Dave goes in to try and save the passenger's lives. Everyone is dead except for a little girl. The couple takes the young girl back to their place where they plan on raising her but one day Dave gets a visit from DEA officer who informs Dave that the plane crash wasn't an accident but a murder plot, which Dave has messed up. Dave uses his detective skills and asks questions about the plane. His inquiries lead him to Bubba Rocque, played by Eric Roberts, a childhood friend who claims that he is innocent and his wife Teri Hatcher who seems to have plans outside of her husband's affairs. In the process, his wife is killed and the film becomes one of revenge to determine who is behind all this mayhem. If you're an Alec Baldwin fan, you might enjoy this movie, as I did!

Cast

            Alec Baldwin as Dave Robicheaux

            Kelly Lynch as Annie Robicheaux

            Mary Stuart Masterson as Robin Gaddis

            Eric Roberts as Bubba Rocque

            Teri Hatcher as Claudette Rocque

            Vondie Curtis-Hall as Minos P. Dautrieve

            Lenore Banks as Woman Driver

            Don Brady as Apartment Man

            Badja Djola as Batist

            Hawthorne James as Victor Romero

            Joe Hess as Johnny Dartez

            Patricia Huston as Nun

            Carl A. McGee as Toot

            Tuck Milligan as Jerry Falgout

            Socorro Santiago as Spanish Nun

            Anne Schedeen as Jungle Room Patron

            Don Stark as Eddie Keats

            Saul Stein as Dom

            Joe Viterelli as Didi Giancano

            Don Yesso as Jungle Room Bartender

            Gray Fredrickson as Sheriff Len Whitley

            James Hooks Reynolds as Truck Driver

            Chuck Zito as Tony

            Paul Guilfoyle as Detective Magelli

            Walter C. Bassett
            
            Tom Burgess as Prison Guard

            Glenn Gomez as Piano Mover

            Chris Kriesa as Priest

            Samantha Lagpacan as Alafair

            Herman Myles Jr. as Clarence

            Jerry Procanik as Patron

            Connie Whittemore as Stripper

            Marion Zinser as Apartment Couple
See full cast