HEAVEN'S PRISONERS 1996
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Mary Stuart Masterson, Kelly Lynch, Teri Hatcher, Eric Roberts, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Samantha Lagpacan Director: Phil Joanou Screenplay: Harley Peyton and Scott Frank based on the novel by James Lee Burke
Does anybody know why this movie is called Heaven's Prisoners? The only connection I can make is the fact that the wife gets shot and maybe goes to Heaven. Have I missed an important point somewhere in this movie? Or is 'Heaven' the name of the place where they live?
I had great difficulty understanding this complex (=confusing) movie about a plane crash; a rescued 'please adopt me because I'm so cute' Spanish girl; a flask carrying, smooth talking, 'sleep with me' tattooed vixen; a lonely-hearts, 'love me or leave me' stripper; a 'kill me in the first fifteen minutes', bullet-riddled wife; a 'have you been sleeping with my wife - I'm going to punch you anyway' childhood friend; some angry drug dealers and a vengeful ex-dick?
This movie based on a novel written by James Lee Burke, feels as though the director has decided to randomly rip pages from the book, before pasting it's remains to create a movie. I have never felt this disjointed or confused about anything, except for the time I dislocated my shoulder playing basketball, then lapsed into temporary bliss when the pethidine kicked in.
The cast is no better. Kelly Lynch is terminated before she can demonstrate any signs of emotion. Terri Hatcher gets to pout and show all of her emotions from A to C, and unfortunately isn't disposed of sooner. Mary Stuart Masterson who normally plays the 'girl next door', is wasted as a stripper who never shows her wares; and Eric Roberts 'Bubba', looks like he's just attended Whoopi Goldberg's school on hair braiding skills. The only person with any admirable talent is Baldwin who plays the tortured, emotionally wrecked husband much better than he does the vengeful ex-detective. Here take a tissue Alec you deserve it.
There's also a plentiful supply of sultry, sassy, southerners with great slurring accents. Who don't walk, but strut; don't perspire but sweat. Who settle misunderstandings the old fashioned way (with fists). Where strippers are known synonymously as whores, and unfaithful wives are executed by trigger happy husbands; and it's called 'Heaven's Prisoners'???
Comment: How about 'Straight To Hell. Don't Collect $200, and Don't Pass Go'?
Monopoly (British Version) Feel scale: 0% *OLD KENT* / Trafalgar Square / Mayfair 100%
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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