In the Electric Mist

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…

**_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…

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…