Watch Heaven's Prisoners For Free

How sad is this?

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Beautiful, moving film.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Heaven's Prisoners is a modern noir from 1996 starring Alec Baldwin, Mary Stuart Masterson, Eric Roberts, Teri Hatcher, and Vondie Curtis-Hall. Set in New Orleans, it's the story of an ex-cop, Dave Robicheaux, who is now out of the force and runs a bait shop just outside the city.One day, while on a boat, they see a plane fall from the sky. Dave is able to save a child who was on board. They take her home with them, but when a DEA agent, Dautrieve, shows up, Dave becomes suspicious about who else was on the plane. He starts to investigate, which leads to trouble. He asks for help from a boyhood friend turned drug lord, Bubba Rocque (Roberts). Unfortunately, Dave doesn't foresee the hell that's coming.Alec Baldwin, young and handsome, does a terrific job as Dave; in his day, he was a fine leading man. Though he's now proved that he's adept at comedy, his dramatic work is excellent as well, as seen here. He portrays an angry, shattered alcoholic.The beginning of the film is especially good, showing the quiet beauty of Louisiana and showing Dave in profile at an AA meeting talking about being sober for three years and still wanting a drink. Mary Stuart Masterson is a wonderful actress; here, she's a blond stripper and creates a complete character. Someone on this board asked why she would take a nothing part. I suppose for her it was an opportunity to play something a little different (at least from what I've seen her do). During Lois & Clark, Teri Hatcher was given good parts in several films, but never developed a big film career. She's good here, though we really don't learn a lot about her character.Heaven's Prisoners is derivative and on the slow side, but it's atmospheric with good acting. At times, the plot is a little hard to follow; I also had a hard time understanding why Dave didn't take the danger seriously enough to either send his family away or keep a closer watch on his home.Good cast, nice production values.

I found this movie so full of holes I am actually motivated to come and write a review. In the very first scene, Dave and his wife witness the plane crash and call it in, rescue a girl and take her home to raise as their own. 1. Why would you leave the scene when you have clearly stated your boats name and location and are a known witness to the accident. 2. Even if the girls mother has clearly died in the accident, do you not think she may have relatives, maybe even in your area? How dare this couple think she will be theirs? 3. They name her after Dave's mother. The girl is about 7 years old and clearly speaks Spanish in the hospital. A verbal girl should be called by her given name, not some name that I don't even recognize in English! This was in the first 10 minutes of the movie, but for me, the movie continued with as many loopholes that just made this painful to watch. I can't comment on the ending because I didn't stick with it.

I remember going to great lengths to fit a matinée showing of HEAVEN'S PRISONERS into a busy Saturday afternoon during its 1996 theatrical release. Considering the source material and the talent behind and in front of the camera, our little filmgoing party of detective-film fans and Alec Baldwin groupies (a.k.a. my mom, my stepfather, and me) found this contemporary film noir to be a big disappointment. Baldwin, who also served as co-producer, brought James Lee Burke's New Orleans ex-cop/recovering alcoholic hero Dave Robichoux from the printed page to the big screen. While Baldwin and the rest of the cast did well in fleshing out Burke's characters and have some tangy tough-guy/gal dialogue, they're hampered by two things: 1.) The film's slo-o-o-ow pacing. Maybe the Louisiana heat got to everyone, not just Baldwin. Of all the actors, Long Island native Baldwin sweats the most, so much that it began to remind me of the sweating-bullets gags with Albert Brooks in BROADCAST NEWS and Robert Hays in AIRPLANE! 2.) A plot that, as rendered in the film (whether it's the fault of the screenwriter or the editor, I can't be sure), never quite follows through on any of its elements. It's too bad, because these elements could've made for an exciting movie: drug dealing, illegal alien smuggling, rival crime bosses (one is played colorfully by Eric Roberts before he became a parody of himself, essentially playing a Southern-fried version of his character from director Phil Joanou's 1992 thriller FINAL ANALYSIS), an adorable little Salvadoran orphan girl (named "Alafair" by the Robichouxs, after Dave's mom. Late in my pregnancy at the time, I liked the name Alafair so much, I nearly changed my mind about naming my then-unborn daughter Siobhan!), and a bevy of beautiful, beguiling women, including earth mother Kelly Lynch, vampy Teri Hatcher in a full-frontal nude scene that was much ballyhooed at the time, and Mary Stuart Masterson, looking like a young Jessica Lange in what was then a change-of-pace role for her: a troubled stripper who loves Robichoux. Despite the sexy promises in the movie's ads, none of the ladies share anything with Baldwin but dialogue and some kisses and/or embraces. Maybe the climate was already so hot, the filmmakers didn't want to add any further steaminess for fear of poor Baldwin collapsing from heat prostration! As my mom put it at the time: "I thought the height of my day would be seeing sexy, dashing Alec Baldwin, but he came up sweaty, rumpled, tired, depressed, and moving as if he was in slow motion. If he'd made love as many times as he got beaten up, it would've been the sexiest picture of '96!" To be fair, there *are* a number of strong characterization and action scenes, but there's just too darn much talky, molasses-paced lag time between them -- and yet, oddly, some of the scenes end abruptly just as they're about to become intriguing! Perhaps Joanou, Baldwin & Co. could've dredged a tighter, more involving thriller out of this if they'd whittled the 140-minute running time down to 105 minutes or so. As HEAVEN'S PRISONERS is now...well, read James Lee Burke's books instead.

I thought the opening scene was one of the best movie openings I've ever watched - beautifully written and sensitively played.Drawn in from the outset, I was happy to watch the plot unfold. Yes, it could be argued that the main protagonist brings his troubles upon himself but that is hardly a plot fault - some people do.Problems with the film? I don't know why an actress of Mary Stuart Masterson's caliber should take on such a nothing role. And the plane crash looked cheap and unconvincing. Otherwise, I have no complaints. I love the books and I thoroughly enjoyed the film.I have read the previous reviews which seem to be critical for the most part and I am left wondering why they are so. I've watched a lot of rotten films and this certainly isn't one of them. I give it an eight out of ten. I enjoyed it.