Reviewed by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Kelly Macdonald, Mary Steenburgen
Written by Jerzy Kromolowski & Mary Olson-Kromolowski, based on the novel by James Lee Burke
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £15.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 102 minutes | Directed by Bertrand Tavernier
Rather surprisingly this strong-casted crime thriller based on the novel In the Electric Mist with the Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke went straight-to-DVD, but by no means does that make this film any less worthy of a bigger release.
It also happens to be an indirect sequel to 1996's Heaven's Prisoners starring Alex Baldwin in Jones's role. Set in a dusty town in Louisiana, In the Electric Mist is the story of Detective Dave Robicheaux (Jones), a recovering alcoholic, as he investigates the grizzly murder of a young woman with ties to all the isolated town's rather unpleasant individuals. What ensues is a cat and mouse chase for Robicheaux as he chases up all possible leads, landing himself in all kinds of danger, not to mention the drunken and drugged-up arms of Hollywood actors as they film their latest picture in the town.
Add a little supernatural flavour or “tease” to the mix and you've got a fairly decent thriller, but it's bland and there isn't much to write home about. What must be said, however, is that Tommy Lee Jones' gives one hell of a performance; he's in pretty much every scene and there's never a dull moment. Without the performances of Jones and Goodman, In the Electric Mist would have been in a mist of its own.
EXTRAS None