"In the Electric Mist" Review - Written by Anthony Thurber

In the Electric Mist
Year: 2009
Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Studio: Image Entertainment
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Mary Steenburgen.
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 102 Mins.



“In the Electric mist” is based on the best-selling novel “In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead” written by James Lee Burke. Oscar Award Winner, Tommy Lee Jones stars as Dave Robicheaux, a detective who is investigating a series of brutal murders. His investigation takes him through the dark and underground world of one New Orleans notorious mobster, “Baby Feet” Balboni (John Goodman). During the course of his investigation, Robicheaux discovers layers of corruption that lead to killing from the past and present. This will lead to forgotten secrets being awaken that will not only endanger him, but his family as well. The film also costars Peter Sarsgaard and Mary Steenburgen with the music of five-time Grammy award winner Buddy Guy.

When watching films that move at a slow pace, it can get boring, as you are waiting for something to happen and have some flaws that are contributing to the pace. But what makes a film like this watchable, the performances. That’s what makes a film like this watchable, like the case here.

“In the Electric Mist” is an entertaining mystery that has performances that make this worth a look. One of the things that made this film good was the way the director Bertrand Tavernier does a good job capturing the look of New Orleans and the various surroundings of Louisiana. The background here helped give his film its gritty southern look, which helps with the film’s story. Another thing that Tavernier does right is to make the performances have dramatic emotion. He does that, by making sure that happens, as it makes you invested with the film’s characters. The performances were very good and what makes this movie what it is.

Tommy Lee Jones plays the detective Dave Robicheaux character with emotion, as it survives its flaws with the editing and screenplay. He doesn’t try to make this character become boring. Jones does that, by selling the fact that his character is not perfect, from the tactics that he uses to his addiction to alcohol. He also helped, by a good supporting cast that includes John Goodman, as a mobster that controls the underworld of New Orleans, Peter Sarsgaard, as an actor filming a film on the Confederacy and Mary Steenburgen, as his wife.

The film’s screenplay had some flaws to it, but it was good for the most part. The screenwriting duo Jerry and Mary Olsen Kromolowski do a good job handling the detective Dave Robicheaux character, very well. I liked, how the writters make this character conflicted with the problems that are going on in his life. The conflicts in the character’s life make the character and the film interesting. They also do a good job going into the character’s homelife and the case, during the course of the film. It gave film some life, in the action department. There were some flaws that I wish they had addressed. First, the Sarsgaard character should have been given more to do, as the character felt like an afterthought at times with the investigation going on, as I would have to have seen more with him and Jones character. It just felt out of place at times. I personally think that it’s not all their fault, as some of bad editing that this film has. Also, the writers could have made the last half-hour of the film, interesting, as the mystery just runs out of steam and becomes predictable. That doesn’t make the situation interesting and it ruined a little bit of my enjoyment, for this film.

“In the Electric Mist” survives it flaws and predictable ending though the directing and the performances.

Review Rating: 3 Stars