In the Electric Mist
Reviews
Andres Gomez
Tommy Lee Jones performance is superb and the Southern US atmosphere is really genuine but the story is just made overcomplicated and disappointing.
Kenneth Axel Carlsson
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._
Wuchak
**_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-
CinemaSerf
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.
CinemaSerf
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.
Movie Recommendation
13th: A Conversation with Oprah Winfrey & Ava DuVernay2017-01-26In this 30-minute interview, Oprah Winfrey sits down with director Ava DuVernay to discuss her Oscar-nominated film, historical cycles of oppression and the broken prison system.More...
Sleeping Giant2015-05-14A coming-of-age tale that turns on three teenagers who are having a vacation by a lakeside.More...
Coral Reef Adventure2003-02-14Coral Reef Adventure follows the real-life expedition of ocean explorers and underwater filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall. Using large-format cameras, the Halls guide us to the islands and sun-drenched waters of the South Pacific to document the health and beauty of coral reefs. Featuring songs written and recorded by Crosby, Stills & Nash.More...
Donovan's Echo2011-09-17A series of uncanny déjà vu events force a man to re-examine his tragic past, memory, instinct, and future.More...
The Butterfly Effect1995-12-20Luis, a Spanish student, goes to London to get a course in Economics. He lives at a house the neighbor of her aunt, but when she broke up with her husband, Luis goes to live with her.More...
Route Irish2011-03-16A private security contractor in Iraq rejects the official explanation of his friend's death and decides to investigate.More...
Still of the Night1982-11-19When one of his patients is found murdered, psychiatrist Dr. Sam Rice is visited by the investigating officer but refuses to give up any information. He's then visited by the patient's mistress, Brooke Reynolds, whom he quickly falls for despite her being a likely murder suspect. As the police pressure on him intensifies, Rice decides to attempt solving the case on his own and soon discovers that someone is trying to kill him as well.More...
The Offence1973-01-11A burned-out British police detective finally snaps while interrogating a suspected child molester.More...
Elsa & Fred2014-03-07After his daughter persuades him to move into a new apartment, aged widower Fred strikes up a friendship with his eccentric 74-year-old neighbour Elsa, who convinces him it's never too late to keep enjoying life. Although he seemed resigned to a miserable bedridden existence, Fred embraces Elsa's youthful enthusiasm as she introduces him to the path of life and entertains him with outlandish stories about her past life. But when he discovers Elsa's terminally ill, Fred decides to accompany her on the trip of her dreams to the eternal city of Rome to help her fulfil a lifelong ambition.More...
Dance with Him2007-02-21Three years after simultaneously parting with a philanderer husband and experiencing a dramatic fall during a horse jumping contest, Alexandra Balzan, a Parisian architect, regains an appetite for life and love after a chance encounter with an aging misanthrope of a master horseman and his horseMore...
Last Known Address1970-02-25Marceau Léonetti, a competent and energetic officer stops by chance the son of an influential lawyer driving under the influence of alcohol. A few months later, the lawyer falsely accuses Léonetti as being violent and incompetent. As a result Marceau is transferred to a small police station, where he meets young and beautiful Jeanne. Soon they are faced with a tough investigation.More...
Paper Man2009-06-15A coming-of-middle-age comedy that chronicles the unlikely friendship between failed author Richard Dunne and a Long Island teen who teaches him a thing or two about growing up, all under the disapproving eye of his long-suffering wife and his imaginary Superhero friend.More...
In the Valley of Elah2007-09-14A career officer and his wife work with a police detective to uncover the truth behind their son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.More...
Dorothy Mills2008-08-06When a gloomy, God-fearing island community is rocked by the assault of an infant, a psychiatrist is called in to examine Dorothy Mills, the teenager accused of the crime. Despite the villagers' hostility to her inquiry, she soon comes to suspect that Dorothy suffers from multiple personality disorder...More...
Fire Down Below1997-09-05When an EPA representative is murdered in a small Appalachian community, EPA undercover agent Jack Taggart is sent in—posing as a handyman working with a Christian relief agency—to determine what happened.More...
The Killer Inside Me2010-02-19Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford is a pillar of the community in his small west Texas town, patient and apparently thoughtful. Some people think he is a little slow and maybe boring, but that is the worst they say about him. But then nobody knows about what Lou calls his "sickness": He is a brilliant, but disturbed sociopathic sadist.More...
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada2005-11-17When brash Texas border officer Mike Norton wrongfully kills and buries the friend and ranch hand of Pete Perkins, the latter is reminded of a promise he made to bury his friend, Melquiades Estrada, in his Mexican home town. He kidnaps Norton and exhumes Estrada's corpse, and the odd caravan sets out on horseback for Mexico.More...
On Golden Pond1981-12-04For Norman and Ethel Thayer, this summer on golden pond is filled with conflict and resolution. When their daughter Chelsea arrives, the family is forced to renew the bonds of love and overcome the generational friction that has existed for years.More...
The Trust2016-04-29A pair of cops investigating a drug invasion stumble upon a mysterious bank vault.More...
Micmacs2009-10-28While standing in the doorway of the video shop where he works, Bazil is inadvertently shot in the head. Now homeless and jobless, he is taken in by a troupe of misfits who live in a giant mound of trash. There Bazil begins his quest for revenge against the people who produced the gun that shot him.More...
Similar Movies
Awake
2019-08-01A man wakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of who he is, and learns that he's wanted by the police for a committing a series of murders.Murder She Said
1961-09-26Miss Marple believes she's seen a murder in a passing-by train, yet when the police find no evidence she decides to investigate it on her own.Murder Most Foul
1964-03-01A murderer is brought to court and only Miss Marple is unconvinced of his innocence. Once again she begins her own investigation.Murder Ahoy
1964-09-22During an annual board of trustees meeting, one of the trustees dies. Miss Marple thinks he’s been poisoned after finding a chemical on him. She sets off to investigate at the ship where he had just come from. The fourth and final film from the Miss Marple series starring Margaret Rutherford as the quirky amateur detective.Fallen
1998-01-16Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.Blue Steel
1990-03-16Rookie cop Megan Turner orders a burglar to drop his gun. He whirls to shoot. Too late. Turner fires, killing him instantly. When someone lifts the assailant's gun from the crime scene, the police hold Turner accountable for killing an unarmed man. That same someone carves Turner's name into the bullets and uses them in a series of murders. Turner teams up with detective Nick Mann to clear her name and catch the killer. But she is drawn into a deadly game of wits with a psychopath who's always one step ahead… and much closer than she thinks!The Glimmer Man
1996-10-04A former government operative renowned for his stealth, Jack Cole is now a Los Angeles police detective. When a series of horrible murders occurs in the metro area, Cole is assigned to the case, along with tough-talking fellow cop Jim Campbell. Although the two men clash, they gradually become effective partners as they uncover a conspiracy linked to the killings, which also involves terrorism and organized crime.Gettysburg
1993-10-08In the summer of 1863, General Robert E. Lee leads the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with the goal of marching through to Washington, D.C. The Union Army of the Potomac, under the command of General George G. Meade, forms a defensive position to confront the rebel forces in what will prove to be the decisive battle of the American Civil War.A Crime
2006-09-11Vincent's life is on hold until he finds his wife's killer. Alice, his neighbor, is convinced she can make him happy. She decides to invent a culprit, so that Vincent can find revenge and leave the past behind. But there is no ideal culprit and no perfect crime.M
1931-05-11In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.It Happened in Broad ...
1958-06-09The search for a child murderer drags a once-respected detective into an all-consuming obsession.Scooby-Doo! Meets the...
1987-10-18After the death of Shaggy's Uncle Beaureguard, he, Scooby and Scrappy arrive at the late uncle's Southern plantation to collect the inheritance. But as soon as they arrive, they find it is haunted by the ghost of a Confederate soldier. With this spook on their tails while they solve riddles in search of the inheritance, they seek help from the Boo Brothers, a trio of ghost-exterminators to help catch this nasty ghoul.Killers of the Flower...
2023-10-18When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.The Calling
2014-08-05Detective Hazel Micallef hasn't had much to worry about in the sleepy town of Port Dundas until a string of gruesome murders in the surrounding countryside brings her face to face with a serial killer driven by a higher calling.Love Stalk
2016-11-15Sharon is a fast-rising PR executive from Singapore, searching for love in Hong Kong, who may have found her dream guy, but as she chases after him online and in person, Sharon quickly finds out the dangers of stalking a secret crush.The Vexxer
2007-03-10Scotland Yard investigators have to prevent the murder of Victoria Dickman when her name is found on a death list.Down by Law
1986-09-20A disc jockey, a pimp and an Italian tourist escape from jail in New Orleans.Kind Hearts and Coron...
1949-06-21When his mother eloped with an Italian opera singer, Louis Mazzini was cut off from her aristocratic family. After the family refuses to let her be buried in the family mausoleum, Louis avenges his mother's death by attempting to murder every family member who stands between himself and the family fortune. But when he finds himself torn between his longtime love and the widow of one of his victims, his plans go awry.Helter Skelter
1976-04-01The investigation of two horrific mass murders leads to the capture and trial of the psychotic pseudo-hippie Charles Manson and his "family".Tightrope
1984-08-17Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer whose victims are young and pretty women. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his daughters are threatened.