Dennis Quaid (D.O.A., Far From Heaven) and Ellen Barkin (Sea of Love, Bad Company) star in The Big Easy, a box-office hit that captivated audiences with its saucy blend of New Orleans nightlife, steamy romance and sultry suspense. When a hood’s murder triggers a bloody gangland drug war, detective Remy McSwain (Quaid) is on the scene. He’s a smooth-talkin’ cop who fits right in with the easy style of Cajun country. Remy meets his match in Anne Osborne (Barkin), a no-nonsense Assistant District Attorney in town to investigate police corruption. At odds from the moment they meet, their electrically charged attraction keeps the sparks flying. Directed by Jim McBride (David Holzman’s Diary, Breathless, Great Balls of Fire!), scripted by Daniel Petrie Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop) and co-starring Ned Beatty (White Lightning) and John Goodman (Barton Fink), The Big Easy is one of the strongest—and sexiest—neo-noir thrillers of the ’80s.

For thoughts on The Big Easy, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/_8_-3VPsJtU?t=61]

Video Quality

The Big Easy debuts on Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 from a 2021 master courtesy of Lionsgate. The presentation is decent throughout with only occasional softer shots and a bit of minor damage here and there. The release does not appear to be plagued by a notable amount of digital tinkering. The film occasionally has more of a digital appearance, but largely this transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation that resolves fairly well.

Overall clarity and detail is good, and skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Colors are pretty well saturated with just a minor push towards a more cyan sheen. Black levels could be stronger with crush becoming a slight issue in some of the darker moments. This presentation from Kino Classics is acceptable, but it feels like it would have fared better if Kino had been able to remaster it themselves.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that is on the weaker side for a film from this era. Even outside of the occasionally indecipherable accents, the dialogue can sound a bit mushy and unclear. The score conjures the appropriate vibe for the narrative that evokes the spirit of New Orleans. It occasionally swallows up some sonic detail with its forward presence in the mix. Environmental sounds such as the gunfire and camaraderie are rendered well alongside various active locales. There does appear to be signs of age-related wear and tear and potential compression that bring the track down a bit. This audio track is a bit of a disappointment. There are English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Jim McBride provides a nifty commentary track moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale in which they discuss the love this film has for New Orleans, the rocky relationship between him and the producers, the location shooting of the picture, the cast and characters, the release and audience reception to the film and much more that is very enlightening.

Trailers: The two-minute trailer for The Big Easy is provided here. There are also trailers provided for D.O.A, The Hunter, I The Jury, F/X and No Mercy.

Final Thoughts

The Big Easy is an overwrought neo-noir that never quite reaches its full potential. The treatment of its female lead is often abysmal, but even beyond this the performers rarely seem to be on the same page. The actual mystery and questions of morality are reasonably compelling, but the execution is a bit unsteady. Kino Classics has brought this one to Blu-Ray with a slightly lacking A/V presentation and an engaging commentary track. If you are a fan of the cast members, you will want to check this out, but go in knowing this is not one of their stronger efforts.

The Big Easy is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.