At least this long, slow crime melodrama isn't as bad as some films set in the Bayou swamplands, and its bursts of action are routinely well handled by director Phil Joanou, even if their gun-blasting, mouth-bloodying violence becomes monotonous. Executive producer/star Alec Baldwin gives himself lots of close-ups, one bead of sweat running photogenically down his left profile, as the ex-cop and ex-alcoholic who somehow gets involved with big-time local crime (headed by Eric Roberts with plaited hair) after saving an illegal Spanish immigrant tot from a plane crash. Kelly Lynch as his wife gets killed off early on, which is a shame, as she's giving the film's only decent performance. Teri Hatcher has a little fun with the bad girl, but the usually reliable Mary Stuart Masterson is just awful (and wildly miscast) as the stripper who gives Baldwin his initial lead when he pokes his nose into things that would have been much better left alone.

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