Best movie of this year hands down!

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Phil Joanou's Heaven's Prisoners is a great little sweaty southern crime yarn that, as I recall, went through a modicum of production hell which some people seem to think stunted any chance it had. I for one think it came out just fine, a moody little neo noir with an intense yet laconic turn from Alec Baldwin, a gorgeous lineup of femme fatales to contend with played by some of the most talented gals out there, and a wily supporting turn from a cornrow sporting Eric Roberts. Baldwin plays Dave Robicheaux, an ex New Orleans who is rousted from tranquil relaxation on the bayou when a mysterious Cessna plane crashes into the marsh near him. Upon exploring it he turns up a considerable amount of drugs, no doubt on their way from somewhere bad to someplace worse. This is the catalyst for a whole whack of trouble falling into his lap, literally and figuratively. He is drawn into a lethal dragnet involving corrupt DEA, his old pal and drug lord Bubba Rocque (Roberts, a prince in the limited screen time he gets), his dangerous moll (Teri Hatcher, sexy and malicious), and more. Baldwin navigates it all with a cold eyed cool of a professional who has been to these places before, both as actor and character. The stakes are high though, as he has a wife of his own (Kelly Lynch) who could potentially be dragged into the mess, and a former flame (Mary Stuart Masterson) who blows back into his life like a tropical storm cell. This film is based on a series of novels by James Lee Burke, all starring Robicheaux and chronicling his hard boiled adventures. You can also check out the excellent In The Electric Mist, another of these yarns from 2008 where Tommy Lee Jones takes up the mantle. Joanou knows the ropes and rigs of film noir, and paces this baby nicely, never too loud or proud and always with the laid back, simmering vibe of the south.

I'm not literary snob. So, please excuse my ignorance regarding how true the screenplay was to the author's original characters, story line and so forth... I just like a good movie.My wife and I found this film on IFC late one night while laying in bed. Neither one of us was often impressed at the excrement cranked out by Hollywood these days. But, this little indy film was just weird enough to suck us in. That was over 10 years ago.After seeing it (now) about 30 times, it is (obviously) part of my library... a household favorite. ... as is the main character, played fairly convincingly by Alec Baldwin. He portrays Dave Robicheaux, a thoroughly fallible, gritty and likable character. In this film all the characters get your attention. The story was good. The swamp was muggy as hell. That psycho POS Victor Romero was completely wack. Badja Djola was awesome as Batist... "You wanna be a duck, you?"Too many colorful characters to mention here. But they are many and very real. The overwhelming heat and humidity of the bayou was so palpable that you wanted to jump in the shower from time to time throughout the movie. The abundance of memorable lines testify to the skill of the writers and it's beautifully shot. BTW..... If you don't like the F word..... try Bambi on the next aisle.There's nothing at all wrong with this film."Hey Dave..! I got'cher Dreamsicle...hangin' down low." Eric Roberts was great as Bubba Rock. Terry Hatcher gets naked, if that's of any interest.But, Dave falling off the wagon is (alone) worth the price of admission."Minas Dautrieve- D.E.A...... the door was open".tadp

The character of Dave Robicheaux would have been a fascinating one to follow in follow-up features, which is what Alex Baldwin at one time had in mind. But to date, Heaven's Prisoners is the only one made. Having read the James Lee Burke novels, there were a tremendous opportunity to have seen the New Orleans underworld in a way that had both an eerie attraction and a noir aspect that could have translated into a very powerful set of features. There is still something there that could be tapped, because a setting in the Crescent City is a natural for this type of movie. Heaven's Prisoners just scratched the surface. It certainly helped having one of my favorite nasty guys playing Bubba Rocque, in Eric Roberts, and Teri Hatcher showing off her butterfly, pre-Desperate Housewives. But then, Burke's novels have some of the weirdest evil-doers twisting Robicheaus every which way and Prisoners had its share. Makes for a great show.

The movie is in my opinion not worth seeing if you're not a fan of the beautiful actress Teri Hatcher. The highlight of the movie is undoubtedly the scene where she stands completely nude on a balcony and shows us viewers a good view of her very lovely breasts. If you look very closely you can also see her pubic hair and a very pretty ass through the railing as she turns and walks away. Thanks for that very special moment,Teri! She has of course other scenes in the movie but none of them leave a very lasting impression. Without the nude scene I would probably rate this movie a 5 but because of Teri's body I'll give it a 9.