The Badge Review
Writer-director Robby_Henson, who made the underseen Civil War drama Pharaoh's_Army, captures the contemporary South in his solid second feature, Behind the Badge. Billy_Bob_Thornton plays Darl, a bigoted small-town Southern sheriff, in a role disconcertingly similar to his role as a bigoted small-town Southern prison guard in Monster's_Ball. The similarities between the two films reportedly hurt Behind the Badge's theatrical distribution prospects, and the film ended up premiering on cable. While not as viscerally powerful as Monster's_Ball, The Badge has a lot to recommend it. It features strong performances by Thornton and Patricia_Arquette, and an exemplary supporting cast including William_Devane, Julie_Hagerty, Thomas_Haden_Church, and, bringing life to what could have been a clichéd role as Darl's disgraced, mentally unbalanced father, Tom_Bower. Henson, a Kentucky native, does a good job capturing seedy small-town politics and prejudice, and the Southern atmosphere (aided by a bluesy soundtrack featuring Otis_Taylor) feels authentic. The Badge is clumsily edited in spots, and a scene of Arquette, in a blue wig, singing in a New Orleans nightclub seems strangely like something lifted out of Blue_Velvet. It's pretty obvious early on who the killer is, and Henson ties everything up a little too neatly, but overall The Badge is an absorbing and well-acted drama. Josh Ralske, Rovi
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