2022 Entry #014 01-30-22 “The Badge” is a 2002 mystery-thriller film which was written and directed by Robby Henson. The film stars Billy Bob Thornton (“Tombstone”, “Sling Blade”, & Ellen’s historic “The Puppy Episode”) & Patricia Arquette, with Jenna Malone (“Life as a House”, “American Girl”, “Saved!”) & Thomas Haden Church (“Easy A”).
The story follows Thornton’s homophobic Louisiana sheriff Darl Hardwick, as he hesitantly investigates the murder of a pre-op trans woman named Mona, at the behest of the victim’s wife Scarlett (Arquette). As Hardwick struggles to find justice for Mona, he is forced to face much of his own prejudice and make amends with his gay brother David (Church).
I bought this movie when it was relatively new, but I put off watching it. I knew that the film dealt with the death of a trans woman, and while I’ve always been interested in seeing LGBTQ lives depicted, I wasn’t sure this would be worth it. This changed over the years as Alexis Arquette, Patricia’s sister, came out as a trans woman, and I figured she wouldn’t appear in anything that would be too offensive. And while there were times that I strongly disliked the characters in the film and I can’t say that it’s a great movie, it wasn’t the horrible nightmare of transphobic bullshit that I had originally feared. I can’t give it a solid recommendation, but I also don’t regret watching it.