In The Electric Mist
© 2009 Little Bear Productions - TF1 International ©2008 Electric Mist Film
The bayou in America's deep south provides a suitably haunting backdrop for Bertrand Tavernier's enigmatic drama.
Policeman Lieutenant Dave Robicheaux (Tommy Lee Jones) is investigating the brutal murder of a prostitute from New Orleans. The trail of clues leads to Julie "Baby Feet" Balboni (John Goodman), a childhood friend who is now a mobster parading as a movie producer.
Balboni and his crew are in town to shoot a movie about the civil war.
Coincidentally, Robicheaux starts seeing an army general accompanied by a band of confederate soldiers, and flashbacks of a negro being chased through the marsh.
Just what is real and what is Robicheaux imagining? And can he find the murderer before the murderer closes in on him?
There are echoes of Tommy Lee JOnes' performance in No Country For Old Men in this film, and that's not at all a bad thing. He excels as the contemplative policeman stealthily closing in on the killer. Robicheaux' methods are at times unconventional, and he's certainly had a chequered past, but his motivations seem sincere.
Tommy Lee Jones' rapid-fire deep southern accent is at times inscrutable but lends tremendous authenticity to his performance.
Goodman, who has so often played quite loveable characters, is utterly (and suitably) repulsive as Balboni.
In The Electric Mist is a strange little film: an intriguing tale of a place and people with a long and troubled history.