In the Electric Mist
Starring: Ned Beatty, John Goodman, Levon Helm, Tommy Lee Jones, Peter SarsgaardDirector: Bertrand Tavernier
Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release: March 3rd 2009
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DVD Review
Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones leads an all-star cast in this psychological thriller based on the bestselling novel by James Lee Burke.
While on an investigation into a series of grisly murders, veteran detective Dave Robicheaux (Jones) navigates his way through the Louisiana bayou and the dark, sultry world of New Orleans mobster "Baby Feet" Balboni (John Goodman). Layers of corruption and long-dead secrets reawaken grudges and a lethal alliance A tangled web of killings, past and present, converges in a shocking showdown with stakes that become deeply personal to Robicheaux and his family. Featuring music from five-time GRAMMY Award-winner Buddy Guy, this film takes you deep into Cajun country's hidden worlds. *Best Supporting Actor: The Fugitive, 1993
User Reviews
Stands Alone, Do Not Be Put Off by the Book Fans - Rating: 5/5
Having never read the books (I generally stick to non-fiction) I am happy to give this movie, the script, the actors, the entire experience, a solid five. It kept me engrossed at a time when I was coping with a number of annoying issues difficult to resolve.
Tommy Lee Jones has never disappointed. This is neither your standard "fugitive" type film nor an overdone mystery weaving the past with the future. It's delight5ful, intrigung, wholesome if you don't mind a little blood, and overall a perfect evening.
in the electric mist - Rating: 5/5
I have been waiting for another James Lee Burke book made into a movie. Alex Baldwin made one but none since. I am very happy Tommy Lee Jones took this project. I hope Jones continues with succeeding movies of Burke books. I think James Lee Burke rates right up there with Ernest Hemingway. The movie was first class and done in the local of all the Burke books.
I Liked it... - Rating: 5/5
I was very pleasantly surprised by this movie. I have not read any of Burke's novels so I was not sure what I was getting. The overall result, I want to read his works. That's about as high a praise as I can give because it is seldom that such is the case.
Yes the movie is more slow paced than the usual action genre so prevalent in today's market but every once in a while we need to see something more on the screen than spectacular car chases. Tommy Lee Jones is outstanding in this as he is in virtually everything he does. The only time I had a problem with his casting was when he takes on a man far bigger, younger and stronger than he and manages to kick his butt. Jones is completely out of breath at the end of the sequence and the "this is a movie" feel of the scene was patently evident. Otherwise, casting is superb throughout.
My absolute favorite moment was when Lee's character was interviewing a poor water man from the back bayous who had discovered a corpse in a drum. The man's accent and speech was absolutely perfect. It took me right back home to the deep South as very few other movies have.
A bit of a predictable plot as you slowly begin to eliminate the possibles but this story is not so much about plot as people. Good flick.
An admirable attempt. . . - Rating: 3/5
Of the modern mystery authors I've read, James Lee Burke is very possibly the most gifted. At moments his prose soars to near-poetry, his insights into humanity's greatness and smallness are impressive, as are his descriptions of the physical world his characters inhabit. "In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead" is one of my favorite Dave Robicheaux novels, and I was pleased to learn that Tommy Lee Jones was starring in a film version of it. Unfortunately, "In the Electric Mist," as the movie is called, was a little disappoining. The script actually follows the novel very closely, and it was easy to see that Jones, the scriptwriters and director all had an affection (and respect) for the material, which I appreciated. But the movie's faithfulness to the book may have been, I think, part of the problem. There were simply too many characters and scenes in the novel to put into a less than 2-hour film for the finished product to be as effective as it might. Tommy Lee Jones turned in a fine performance as the angst-ridden, but formidable Robicheaux and John Goodman was good as Baby Feet Balboni. (I'd like to have seen more of Mary Steenburgen as Bootsie.) But while many of the scenes worked well, a number of others had an unfinished or glossed-over feel to them -- possibly the result of having to edit a little too heavily to hold down the length of the picture. Despite its flaws, however, "In the Electric Mist" was a noble effort at bringing the work of a top-drawer author together with a top-notch actor, and I salute Jones and company for making it happen. What's more, I hope they try again.
Great flick! - Rating: 5/5
A 'Sleeper'! A must see for anyone who has visited Lousiana. Or any Cajun or craw fish afficianado.
