Remy McSwain (Dennis Quaid) is a New Orleans police lieutenant investigating the murder of a mob wise guy as one of his new cases. He is brash, street-wise and from a family of cops. He's forced to partner with A.D.A. Ann Osborne (Ellen Barkin) who is on a task force against police corruption. She's not as experienced on the streets. Soon they're in bed together. His loose ethics gets him in trouble and her in conflict of interest.This movie is trying very hard to get the New Orleans flavor. Dennis Quaid is pushing the accent hard. The movie pulls out the music and food in the first 10 minutes. The case almost doesn't matter. This is a movie about Barkin getting her sexy on in the Big Easy with Quaid. This is definitely style over substance. The crime drama is forgettable but Barkin is forever.

"The Big Easy" is a great movie which simply oozes charm and atmosphere from start to finish. Its unique blend of action, romance and humour is complemented brilliantly by the idiosyncrasies of its characters, some irresistible music and the colourful location in which it's set. The whole notion of New Orleans being a place where life is lived at a relaxed pace and where pay-offs are the norm is conveyed in a way which seems totally authentic and interestingly, this culture appears to be equally prevalent in both the criminal and the law enforcement fraternities.Homicide detective Remy McSwain (Dennis Quaid) is conducting an investigation into a series of murders where local mobsters have been the victims when Assistant D.A. Anne Osborne (Ellen Barkin) arrives on the scene to carry out her own investigation into alleged police corruption. There's an instant attraction between the easy going Remy and the straight laced Anne and she's gradually won over by his good natured banter and natural charisma.When the couple go out to dinner, it becomes clear to Anne that it's normal for Remy to be given free dinners by the proprietor of "Tipitina's" and later after Remy is caught accepting a pay-off during a sting operation, it falls to Anne to act as the prosecutor when his case goes to trial. Remy doesn't regard himself as corrupt as everyone in the police department enjoys kickbacks from the "Widows & Orphans Fund" which is financed by money which the police raise from the local shop owners. The prosecution's case then runs into trouble after some unorthodox action by his colleagues ensures that the evidence against Remy is made unusable.The couple's relationship is temporarily derailed when they're on different sides during the trial but later when it becomes necessary to do so; they agree to work together again.Remy and Anne are profoundly different in the sense that she sees what's permissible within the regulations in terms which are very black and white whilst Remy is a pragmatist who is perfectly comfortable operating within the grey areas. On one occasion she says to him "You're supposed to uphold the law but instead you bend it and twist it and sell it"....."Why don't you just face it Remy? You're not one of the good guys anymore". On another occasion Remy says "This is New Orleans darlin'. Folks have a certain way of doing things down here. People like to show their appreciation". During the course of the story, Remy gradually starts to recognise why she sees things the way she does.Dennis Quaid is terrific as a character who like the movie itself is bright and breezy, charming and very good humoured. Ellen Barkin is perfect as the uptight Anne who's completely horrified by some of the practices which she witnesses during the course of her investigation and the supporting cast are also excellent (especially John Goodman, Ned Beatty and Charles Ludlam)."The Big Easy" is pure entertainment and great fun and unsurprisingly was a big commercial success.

Jim McBride's film 'The Big Easy' is an essentially light-hearted crime thriller that integrates elements of romantic comedy with an exaggerated portrayal of life in New Orleans. Ultimately, however, it can't quite decide to play it purely for laughs, so there are also some gruesome scenes and a story of a cop's disenchantment with a life of petty corruption; it's hard to take these seriously in the context of the film as a whole. Whether you like this movie probably depends on what you think of its leads: Dennis Quaid's cocky policeman and Ellen Barkin's very 1980s lawyer. Personally, I'd feel quite easy about giving them a miss.

"The Big Easy" (1987) directed by Jim McBride is a very sexy thriller/neo noir -southern style. I always wanted to visit New Orleans and The Big Easy, "where they do things differently" and its Cajun music are the stars of the movie. Two hot and talented actors (Dennis Quaid at his sexiest) as Det. Remy McSwain, of New Orleans Homicide and criminally underrated Ellen Barkin (Ann Osborne, a beautiful attorney from the D.A.'s office investigating corruption charges against Remy) are incredibly believable in their erotic scenes that make the film deservingly famous. Ned Beatty, John Goodman, and Grace Zabriskie are the part of the first-rate cast in this very decent even if predictable Crime / Action / Thriller / Mystery /Romance