The Badge

In La Salle Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff Darl Hardwick (Billy Bob Thornton) investigates the controversial local murder of a transgender woman, with the highly sensitive matter being concealed as much as possible by the parish's most influential figures, such figures even going so far as to frame Hardwick for statutory rape involving a local waitress. With his career as sheriff at an end, Hardwick takes a personal stake in the investigation after becoming acquainted with Scarlett (Patricia Arquette), the victim's widow. Hardwick heads down a somewhat reckless path to understanding the victim's world, reconciliation for past sins, and a series of dark truths within the parish itself.