Coco Chavez (Carla Gugino) lures men and blackmails them in small grifts with boyfriend Junior Armstrong (Simon Baker). They recruit Lizard Browning (Gil Bellows) and wild man Ruben Rubenbauer (Til Schweiger) to kidnap computer tycoon Ben Dyson who has a $4 million insurance policy to pay the ransom. It doesn't go smoothly as Coco kills Senator Rupert Hornbeck (Hal Holbrook)'s wife. Cynical police detective David Friedman (Alan Rickman) is forced to take the case along with an equally cynical FBI Agent Sadie Hawkins (Emma Thompson) as his partner.

I can do without all the southern accents. Along with the mannered dialog, it becomes a bit annoying. The actors make a passable attempt at neo-noir. However it doesn't amount to anything compelling. Rickman and Thompson could have been a funny pairing but it's not enough. Sebastian Gutierrez is trying to be Tarantino but he's nowhere good enough especially for his first movie.

This was the first directing job by Sebastian Gutierrez, the writer of Snakes on a Plane and Gothika. Anyone who has read my reviews knows that I love capers, and this was a doozy. A kidnapping and a woman shot in the process. The FBI has Emma Thompson on the kidnapping case and the Police Chief (Roscoe Lee Browne) assigns Alan Rickman to solve the murder, which happens to be a Senator's (Hal Holbrook) wife. These two make an outstanding pair as they work together.

The kidnappers/murderers have lovers Simon Baker (Land of the Dead) and the ultra hot Carla Gugino (Sin City),along with a couple of partners. They kidnapped a hotshot computer mogul and they run his accountant all over town before they get the dough. Things go fast from there as new twists and turns are brought in. The whole thing is brilliant and definitely a "piss in your pants because you can't go to the bathroom or you'll miss something" thrill.

Now, to be completely honest, I would have given this movie a 10 if there had been more of the movie the security guard was watching in the opening. I would have loved to see more of Beverly Hotsprings and Yvette Lera, but, hey, that wasn't part of the caper; just icing on the cake.

Thompson and Rickman should definitely make more movies together. One treat:

Agent Hawkins: So fill me in. Detective Friedman: That remark could be misconstrued as sexual harassment, Agent Hawkins. Agent Hawkins: Let's get it out of the way then: you've never worked under a female superior before. I got to where I am by pushing paper and playing nice - I've never actually fired a gun before, I'm only in this job to prove to my father I'm not a coward. I give decent head, so I got promoted before all the worthy candidates, all of them men, all of them equally gifted at fellatio but there was a gender quota to fill. I'm also stupid and idealistic; you are hard and cynical, and usually right. I am secretly in love with you but I have a hard time showing it. Did I skip anything?

Damn, that's great dialog! Gutierrez not only directs a great movie, but he can write too!

And, did I say Carla Gugino was hot?

Put this on your list.

"Judas..." attempts to be a intriguing noir crime flick by filming in the "Big Easy" with lots of dark shots, sweaty bodies, gritty dialogue, and other elements obviously contrived to appeal to the viscera. The unfortunate result is a mediocre, marginally interesting film with some woeful southern accents, a convoluted plot, lame attempts at artistry, bad casting, and such poor character development that half the audience roots for the bad guys while the other half roots for the good guys. Worth a watch but only after seeing "L.A. Confidential" and the top films of this genre.