Review: Kelsey Grammer is even more ridiculous than Nicolas Cage in ‘Grand Isle’

In the Southern gothic neo-noir “Grand Isle,” Kelsey Grammer improbably out-Cages Nicolas Cage. Grammer slathers on a ridiculous bayou accent, playing a detective grilling Buddy (Luke Benward), a young drifter who in flashbacks is seen taking refuge from a hurricane with an eccentric ex-marine named Walter (Cage) and the femme fatale wife (KaDee Strickland) whom Walter wants dead. Cage chews plenty of scenery in his scenes. Grammer gobbles up more.

This is a rare case when a cheap B-movie isn’t improved by Cage-style clowning. “Grand Isle” has a solid story about a troubled young man falling under the spell of a pair of violent sickos; and director Stephen S. Campanelli (a veteran cameraman who’s worked with Clint Eastwood) gives the material ample Louisiana atmosphere. This could’ve been a respectable retro crime picture. Apparently, nobody told the cast.