This would be more palatable if the content weren't so long-winded and didn't take itself so seriously. Barb Wire , by counterpoint, is another empty exercise in style and exhibitionism that at least has the grace never to promise anything more. Robicheaux gets sucked back into cop-like action when he and his wife accidentally become entangled with unsavory drug dealers and an adorable orphaned child from Central America. The bad guys are led by the imposing Eric Roberts, in Bo Derek corn rows, along with his bad-seed wife Teri Hatcher . It's impossible to tell which of the two is more intrinsically evil, and more importantly, it's hard to care.
Information seems to be missing or present in an incomplete form.
The big picture is fuzzy. What is clear is that bad guys are after Robicheaux, and he, in turn, is after them. When they encounter one another, they fight. Director Phil Joanou, known for the steamy but elliptical TV miniseries Wild Palms , is no doubt the culprit here. He began as a music video director and his previous work has been predictably long on moodiness and short on story.