In the Electric Mist (2009)

Tommy Lee Jones performance is superb and the Southern US atmosphere is really genuine but the story is just made overcomplicated and disappointing.

A woman is found murdered in the swamp somewhere in the south. A brutal murder, quite possibly a serial killer. A policeman is investigating, and while he does that, another body is found, but this one nothing but bones. This guy (a black guy) was killed 40 years ago, and the policeman suddenly remembers that he saw this murder happening when he was a kid. There doesn't seem to be any sort of connection between the murders, except the man investigating both of them.

Tommy Lee Jones plays the old cop who investigates the murders in the swamp. He is a man fighting his own demons, meaning mostly alcohol, but clearly the death of this black guy has also haunted him for 40 years. He wants justice to be served, but is not willing to do whatever it takes, at least not in the beginning.

This movie is not the most exciting crime movie out there. One thing that makes it stand out from most of them, though, is that it doesn't want to trick us. From the beginning, we know where the plot is going, we just need to follow it all the way to the end and see the ends being tied together. The story is ok, solid, but what really makes this thriller different is the characters and the pace. It is not afraid to slow down the pace and gives us a look into the people who live here, and those visiting. I especially liked the element introduced with Elrod Sykes and Kelly Drummond, two movie stars down here shooting a movie. By the way, it is Elrod who finds the old bones while taking a piss. The confrontations between a drunken Elrod and a sober Dave (the cop), are brilliant and really gives this movie a lot of heart.

I also want to mention the music in this movie. It is there, but doesn't overshadow the images and plot, and most importantly, it has a very unique rhythm, like a beating heart, that drives us forward together with Dave Robicheaux. You notice it, but you don't notice it, if you know what I mean. Brilliant.

_Last words... don't expect this movie to offer you gore and violence. Sure, people die, but you never actually see any sickly images. That's not the story it wants to tell, it wants to give you an insight into a man, a man that isn't so different from you and I._

**_Tommy Lee Jones as a tough sleuth in the bayous of the Deep South_**

A no-nonsense detective in the heart of Louisiana (Jones) tries to stay away from alcohol as he investigates the murder of a young prostitute, as well as a murder from the mid-60s of a black man in the swamp. John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Mary Steenburgen and Ned Beatty appear in secondary roles.

Based on the 1993 book, “In the Electric Mist” (2009) is a detective drama/thriller with a Southern Gothic milieu. Imagine “U.S. Marshals” if it were set in the Deep South, like “No Mercy,” "Cape Fear" or “The General’s Daughter.”

The details of the book are absent so you have to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but I loved the bayou atmosphere even though some of the peripheral actors seem like they memorized their lines 15 minutes before their scenes were shot.

The movie runs 1 hour, 57 minutes, and was shot New Iberia, Louisiana, which is 15 miles southeast of Lafayette and 130 miles west of New Orleans. Areas nearby were also used, including Catahoula, Albania Plantation in Jeanerette, St. Martinville and Charenton.

GRADE: B-

The problem from the outset of this film is that it is far too convoluted. That is a shame because Tommy Lee Jones as "Lt. Robicheaux" is on really good form. This adaptation of James Lee Burke's book needed a much more aggressive perspective in adapting the story to keep it taut to watch. This story sees him investigating the murder of a local prostitute who is tied up (not literally!) with local mobster "Baby Feet Balboni" (John Goodman) who is co-funding an American Civil War film. Simultaneously, the star of that movie - "Elrod Sykes" (Peter Sarsgaard) is pulled over for being under the influence and reveals that he has found a body in a swamp. A body that our detective believes may have been that of a person he saw murdered some 30-odd years ago... Investigations galore!! This is a much more character-driven crime drama with few distractions from what is a good lead performance of a good story. It is directed well when it is focussed, but it is not always focussed and at times it is just too busy.