Heaven's Prisoners Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Heaven's Prisoners Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 7, 2024

Phil Joanou's "Heaven's Prisoners" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by Phil Joanou; exclusive new program with producer Andre Morgan; arhcival cast and crew interviews; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Heaven’s Prisoners is a great fix for anyone who unexpectedly develops an addiction to neo-noir films set in the New Orleans area. It can be seen right after No Mercy or Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, The Big Easy and even Angel Heart.

Retired cop Dave Robicheaux (Alec Baldwin) and his wife Annie (Kelly Lynch) have relocated to a remote corner of the bayou to start a new life. While this is not the best place to run a business, Dave has opened a small bait shop and managed to attract a big enough clientele to ensure its survival.

But on a hot summer day, Dave and Annie save a little girl from a private jet that crashes in the water near their home and permanently alter their perfect plan for the future. While the little girl recovers under their supervision, Dave discovers that the dead passengers on the private jet are shady characters connected to some of the area's biggest criminals, one of which is his childhood friend Bubba Rocque (Eric Roberts), and shortly after several masked men execute Annie. Filled with anger but determined to protect the little girl, Dave begins tracking down his wife’s killers, and in a matter of days reaches the bottom of New Orleans’ dangerous underworld.

Directed by Phil Joanou, Heaven’s Prisoners works with original material from James Lee Burke’s novel of the same name, which is one of many featuring Baldwin’s character, Robicheaux, who appears to have been modeled after Raymond Chandler’s iconic character Philip Marlowe. Obviously, Robicheaux operates in a different environment with unique gravitational forces, but many of the characters he encounters there and especially his misery are very similar to the ones that are present in Marlowe’s universe. Robicheaux’s colorful vocabulary is also very similar to Marlowe’s.

But Robicheaux has a past that shapes his identity in an entirely new way and constantly affects the choices he makes while searching for the truth. It often makes him melodramatic, almost oddly soft, too. Robicheaux is not a loner by choice, like Marlowe, so when he is around people, especially people who care about him, these changes make it possible to feel for him that his distant relative does not tolerate.

As is the case with all neo-noir films set in the New Orleans area, however, the local landscape becomes a special character too, and in Heaven’s Prisoners it essentially acts as a rival of Robicheaux. In fact, it might be Robicheaux’s biggest and most complex rival because it repeatedly and successfully lures him to gamble his life in situations where the best he can do is rely on his instincts. Robicheaux’s other rivals are all bad characters who would not hesitate to trick and eliminate him, too, but he can easily read them and make good countermoves. The New Orleans area is too big and too powerful of a rival, and it is why he had to walk away from it and retreat with his late wife to a remote corner of the bayou.

The mandatory femme fatale is played by Teri Hatcher, who is married to Rocque but is unwilling to be his partner in crime. At the right time, she meets the powerful mafia boss Didi Giancano (Joe Viterelli), who has second thoughts about Rocque and can no longer tolerate Robicheaux’s antics, and offers to replace her husband as his business partner. After an agreement between the two is reached, a series of developments expand the narrative in new directions. Mary Stuart Masterson plays a struggling striptease dancer who reenters Robicheaux’s life as well.

Joanou and director of photography Harris Savides are a good team. They capture the southern allure of the New Orleans area very, very well, and infuse Heaven’s Prisoners with a wonderfully authentic atmosphere.

Heaven's Prisoners Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Heaven's Prisoners arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

The master that was used to prepare this release is not new. I do not know when it was finalized, but if I had to guess, I would say that it was at the end of the DVD era. This does not mean that it is a bad master. Despite some obvious limitations, it is actually pretty good. For example, virtually all close-ups look good, boasting fine detail, clarity, and depth. Some of the wider panoramic shots, and especially the ones with plenty of natural light, reveal softness and shaky highlights, and this is a very common limitation on older masters. Density levels are good. Color balance is stable and convincing. However, saturation levels can be better and select supporting nuances can be expanded. Some darker areas reveal a bit of crushing, too. Image stability is very good. I did not see any distracting cuts, large debris, warped or torn frames to report in our review. All in all, despite some small but noticeable fluctuations, I think that the overall quality of the presentation is surprisingly good. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Heaven's Prisoners Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All exchanges are stable, clear, and easy to follow. There is quite a bit of action throughout the film, and I think that dynamic intensity is good, but I would not be surprised if in the future the audio is remastered and some small but meaningful improvements are made. Why? During the big chase sequence that culminates on the tram, it feels like the strength/oomph of the action could be even greater. The music creates good subtle dynamic contrasts.

Heaven's Prisoners Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, director Phil Joanou shares a lot of interesting information about the production of Heaven's Prisoners, which was apparently "the worst experience" of his career, and his interactions with various cast members, including Alec Baldwin, whom he describes as "super-smart" and "funny". There are some particularly great comments about the different locations where key sequences were shot and the tone and atmosphere of the film, which I personally like a lot, and the demise of Savoy Pictures.

• Hell's Warden - in this exclusive new program, producer Andre Morgan discusses the failed plan to create a franchise with Alec Baldwin's character Dave Robicheaux, and his relationship with Phil Joanou. Also, there is plenty of interesting (and some quite hilarious) information about the shooting of Heaven's Prisoners in the New Orleans area, as well as the film's mishandling by Savoy Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Archival Cast and Crew Interviews - a collection of interviews with cast and crew members discussing their involvement with Heaven's Prisoners. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Alec Baldwin (6 min).
  2. Mary Stuart Masterson (5 min).
  3. Kelly Lynch (4 min).
  4. Teri Hatcher (6 min).
  5. Eric Roberts (3 min).
  6. Phil Joanou (4 min).

• Teri Hatcher - in this archival interview, Teri Hatcher discusses the character she plays in Heaven's Prisoners. Hatcher also discusses her "nude entrance". In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Behind the Scenes Featurette - presented here is an archival featurette with raw footage from the shooting of Heaven's Prisoners in Louisiana. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Promotional Featurette - presented here is an archival featurette with clips from several archival interviews with cast and crew members. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Theatrical Trailer - presented here is a vintage theatrical U.S. trailer for Heaven's Prisoners. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Booklet - 60-page illustrated booklet featuring multiple essays and technical information.

Heaven's Prisoners Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The New Orleans area is the perfect playground for an atmospheric neo-noir thriller. It always has been. Heaven's Prisoners takes advantage of it and tells a good story, but James Lee Burke's famous character looks a bit soft in it. Also, after a while Heaven's Prisoners becomes too much of a character study, and I think that it would have turned out a much better film if it was as edgy as No Mercy. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth revisiting. The Blu-ray release we have reviewed is included in After Dark: Neo-Noir Cinema Collection Three, a six-disc, Region-Free box set. RECOMMENDED.