Tonight's Movie: The Big Easy (1986) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

One of my favorite films of the '80s, THE BIG EASY (1986), is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

An impossibly young Dennis Quaid plays homicide detective Remy McSwain, who clashes with District Attorney Anne Osborne (Ellen Barkin) while working to solve a series of murders.

It's assumed there's a gang war going on, yet there are rumblings of an unmarked police car involved in one of the murders, which ties into Anne's current investigation into police corruption.

Remy and Anne begin to fall for each other, but then Remy himself is discovered to be on the take. His case is dismissed for "lack of evidence" (wink!)...just as he and Anne discover something much bigger is going on at his New Orleans police precinct.

I've seen THE BIG EASY several times over the years, including multiple theatrical viewings at the time of release, but it had been at least 15 years since I last saw it, so I really had the chance to view it "fresh" via the new Blu-ray.

Watching the film it struck me that this was a movie which helped pave the way into my love of classic crime films and film noir. It's a story that could have easily been filmed in the '40s or '50s with someone like Edmond O'Brien or Scott Brady in the lead. Classic film fans who don't watch many "newer" films -- I use that word advisedly -- should check this one out.

The angle with Quaid's character being involved in police corruption hit me more negatively than it used to, but at the same time, he has audience goodwill just because he's Dennis Quaid -- certainly one of my top favorite stars of the era, along with Kevin Costner.

The other thing going for Quaid is Remy's character arc and his growth as he realizes there's no such thing as being just a little bit on the take -- you're crooked or you're not, and being crooked inevitably leads to increasingly bad things, including his family being caught up in the crossfire.

There are numerous great aspects to the film, including the location shooting in Louisiana and the distinctive Cajun music. The soundtrack is excellent.

The film is packed with interesting offbeat characters, starting with the leads themselves. Quaid's Cajun accent and slang is certainly different, and Barkin has a unique yet appealing look for a leading lady; her Anne is upright and uptight, yet also willing to bend and forgive when appropriate. It's a really interesting, even scene-stealing performance.

Some of the other excellent performances are Charles Ludlam as Remy's colorful defense attorney, Grace Zabriskie as his Cajun mother, and Lisa Jane Persky as a wisecracking young cop.

I got to wondering about Persky after watching this and discovered that she left films in 2006. Since then she's been involved in the literary scene, including writing for the Los Angeles Review of Books.

The supporting cast also includes Ned Beatty, Tom O'Brien, and John Goodman.

THE BIG EASY runs a perfectly paced 102 minutes. It was directed by Jim McBride and filmed by Affonso Beato.

It was delightful to see that Diamond Farnsworth was the stunt coordinator, as I've seen him speak many times at the Lone Pine Film Festival.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray is from a 2021 HD master. It looks and sounds great.

Extras consist of a trailer; a gallery of five additional movie trailers; and a commentary track by director Jim McBride, in discussion with Douglas Hosdale.

Recommended.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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