My 150 Favorite Movies - #101

The Big Easy (1986)

The first film to ever sell (to a distributor) at the Sundance Film Festival, Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin star, and sizzle on screen in this tale of police corruption and murder in New Orleans. The onscreen chemistry is palpable, and it doesn't hurt that the third costar of the film is the city itself. The soundtrack also adds to the native atmosphere, featuring music by BeauSoleil, the Neville Brothers, Professor Longhair, and Buckwheat Zydeco, among others. Reportedly, this is Quaid and Barkin's favorite film of their own oeuvre.