The Badge

Sheriff Hardwick investigates the murder of a transexual woman named Mona. Since certain local politicians may be involved, the judge wants the case archived to prevent it affecting upcoming elections, but the evidence keeps pouring in. A sheriff (Thornton) begins an investigation into the death of a local trans woman after hearing that high ranking politicians may have been involved. Although he is homophobic and transphobic, his investigation causes him to be rejected by others, forcing him to seek help from the people he once despised. —Jason Smith and Clavain 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.