Phil Joanou has always been a director with an eye for a striking composition. Sadly, that's the only card he has to play in this overripe, overblown melodrama set against the backdrop of New Orleans and gulf-coast Louisiana. As a retired homicide cop with a yen to return to his old job, Alec Baldwin starts nosing around the area's more dangerous citizens after some innocent people are killed. The only problem is, the script is so impenetrable, it's impossible to determine why anyone is doing anything they're doing. The dialogue and situations, especially the snarling showdowns between Baldwin and a mobster played by Eric Roberts, border uncomfortably on camp. A sad note considering that the two are by far the best performers in the film. On a positive note, Joanou and director of photography Harry Savides make these atmospheric locations look terrific. The film did not do well, and Joanou has yet to work on another big-budget project.