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Visitors Review

dave-sturm 2013-05-11 09:59:11

Sinister swamps

I approached this movie on DVD with a lot of curiosity. Here's a moviedirected by acclaimed French director Bertrand Tavernier. It's based ona novel by crime fiction legend James Lee Burke.It stars Tommy Lee Jones (who is in every single scene of the movie).Plus a whole boatload of actors who would never appear in crap,including Mary Steenbergen, Ned Beatty, Levon Helm (well, he's actuallya musician, but the same principal applies), John Goodman, KellyMacDonald (the Scottish actress who played Josh Brolin's wife in NoCountry for Old Men), Peter Sarsgard and blues musician legend BuddyGuy. And the director of the Civil War movie-within-a-movie isindependent film legend John Sayles.And this went straight to DVD? Or so I am told. WTF??????? Full disclosure: I am a huge fan of crime fiction but have only readone novel by James Lee Burke. Reason? I don't like nature descriptionsin crime fiction. And Burke is seriously devoted to moss, and swamps,and alligators, and other swampy stuff ... for God's sake, his hero,Cajun homicide detective Dave Robicheaux, has a daughter with a petraccoon.However, cinematically, all these "sins" work in this movie.I think I know why this movie went under the radar. It is slow moving.We follow detective Dave R. as he goes about his business in Cajunterritory in southern Louisiana, where you're black or you have aFrench last name. Sometimes, probably, both.Someone is killing and mutilating prostitutes on Dave R's turf. Thereseem to be ties to a gangster called Babyfeet -- John Goodman in awicked performance. There's also a 40-year-old lynching that may beconnected.Meanwhile, someone slips Dave R. some LSD in his soda pop (he's arecovering alcoholic) and he begins getting advice from a hallucinatedJohn Bell Hood, the famous Civil War general. It's good advice, as itturns out. Hood's played by rock drummer Levon Helm.And if you don't know who Levon Helm is, just go away. Or listen to"Revolution Blues" by Neil Young and hear genius rock drumming.This is a movie with narration (by Dave R.), something which I normallyhate. But it is artfully written prose and it adds to the movie.This is not a thriller. But it doesn't plod either. It immerses you ina time and a place in southern Louisiana and shows you how a series ofcrimes plays out amid lots of people living in really wetneighborhoods. Hurricane Katrina damage makes a cameo.I found it slow but utterly fascinating.

2013-05-11 00:41:23

Expected better....

If you are a James Lee Burke fan you already know this movie fell short of the book/Dave Roubicheaux series. But as a fan you will sit through it anyway. ;) I enjoyed seeing the New Iberia familiars and scenery.The editing seemed off, like it was a bit choppy. The Elrod character was so much better in the book and I know that Sarsgard is a great actor, it's unclear why it didn't work for Elrod, tho. Levon Helm was awesome, James Gammon was a nice surprise and that racoon that played Tripod was the real star. LMAO. Bootsie and Baby Feet were both way off the mark for me. I will gladly return to my audiobooks now and wait for the next novel in the series.....Stacey

2013-05-05 07:43:19

Confusing and ill conceived

This review is from: In the Electric Mist (DVD) I thought this film was, sadly, disappointing. I say this as a fan of James Lee Burke--and there's the rub: If you haven't read the Robicheaux books, you will be mystified by this film. The characters from the books are not introduced to the viewer; they simply appear--and you have no idea who they are or why they're significant to Robicheaux.I also got very tired of Hollywood actors doing fake Louisiana accents (Tommy Lee Jones gets a pass). The requisite blues soundtrack is good. The cinematography captures the flavor of Cajun territory. But somehow it all ends up seeming contrived--like Hollywood's version of Louisiana.Burke's books are complex, involving many, many characters and subplots, and the film tries to include everything. The end result is confusion. From one scene to the next, you're wondering exactly what is going on. All films are obviously artificial, but good films make you forget the artifice, even those made from books (_No Country for Old Men_ comes to mind). In this film, the artifice is in your face.Forget the movie and read the book.

2013-05-04 13:19:48

Don't waist your time watching this movie!!!

As you watch the movie you try to link all the murders and the different events in the movie, but it is useless. It is very confusing and boring. I would not recommend this movie to anyone.

2013-04-22 10:49:45

Great

This review is from: In the Electric Mist [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) I am very much a fan of Tommy Lee Jones. Have been for years. He can do no wrong. I love his character in just about all of his movies. This was a great movie and the plot was excellent.

Tord S Eriksson 2013-04-21 14:10:45

A lovely movie with Tommy Lee jones

This film, as we use to say, or movie,, left me tear-eyed. Tommy LeeJones, you're one hell of an actor! Monsieur Tavenier, C'est magnifique! Just seen Blindless, with just as capable cast, and this film just runscircles around the Blindness! I must doff my hat, to mr Tavenier, andthe cast - amazing! Quite a simple story, but what a result! I see a lot of films (myprivate library contains at least a few thousand DVDs), but the "In theElectric Mist" stay among those I'll see again, soon, like some othersof Tommy Lee Jones's flics, like "Under Siege".In short, pretty darn good (and that's for you, too, mr Goodman -you've lost a lot of pounds, haven't you?!).

2013-04-21 02:27:24

I enjoyed the movie

This movie played well and we had no problems accessing it from the list of available titles. I did like it

2013-04-20 16:05:48

The Whole is Less Than the Sum of It's Parts

I've never read any of James Lee Burke's books but he seems to be well thought of and has an avid army of fans. I looked forward to seeing this, partly because of the cast, but also because there has been a pretty good record as of late with studios taking the books of well honed American authors and turning them into films.This is a hit and miss. Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard and Mary Steenburgen are only part of a large and well seasoned cast. The director, Bertrand Tavernier is also well seasoned with 33 films to his credit, but somehow this project doesn't hang together.Here's the scoop. Set in Louisiana, Tommy Lee plays a police captain who is ready to bust Sarsgaard, a Hollywood actor in town for a film shoot, on a DUI. To avoid said DUI Peter leads Tommy to an area of the swamp where he spotted a corpse shackled in chains. Even though the body has been dead since the 60s Tommy wants to investigate. Meanwhile, a young prostitute from town is murdered and Tommy wants to make the connection between the two which leads him to investigate all manner of unseemly persons.Nearly every scene in this movie was written and acted extremely well. A lot of really cool things happened in the plotting. Most of the characters, even the secondary ones, had a lot of personality, but it all failed to dovetail. Like the dead guy in chains. He's what started the whole thing off but very little is done in regard to that part of the story. And it didn't build up tension. It kept a generally even keel throughout. This might be truer to how real life is but it doesn't make for exciting movies. This is an imminently watchable film with a lot going for it, but if you're at all like me, you might walk away from it shrugging your shoulders.

2013-04-11 05:10:34

Good performances, a little slow at times

Tommy Lee Jones and John Goodman were terrific. I actually think it is one of John Goodman's best performances because it was out of the box for him. The movie is beautifully filmed, and very interesting -- however parts of it are a bit far reaching from a plot perspective. There was a lot of content crammed into the movie, which I feel left the viewer to make some comclusions on their own. Definately adult not only in content, but also in thought process.

Didus26 2013-04-10 22:50:14

nonsense

this film is utter tripe. boring beyond belief . totally failing toengage the audience with poor acting by the secondary parts, even theusually brilliant Peter Saarsgard is kept at bay and hence the filmsuffers. Instead we are plodding along with what seems like some 'plot'with the awfully boring and grumpy Tommy Lee Jones. john Goodman andhis co-horts are all miscast and there are five or six very amateurscenes with Lee jones and what seems local actors.....veryunprofessional.... the story is unbelievable and told in such a sillyway it tires its best to be clever but seems more like Donnie Darkogone wrong. No Country for Old Men was a great movie but was held backin parts with the obsession with Tommy Lee jones character,Unfortunately this film seems like an extension of lee jones'scharacter and how boring his play is.....dreadful....

2013-04-03 05:17:14

In the Electric Mist(Blue-ray)

This review is from: In the Electric Mist [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Do not know why I didn't like this movie...but maybe I didn't understand the story line. Hope others enjoyed it.

2013-04-03 02:07:55

Almost turned it off.

Had a difficult time sitting thru this entire movie. Moved very slowly and there won't be any Academy Awards for the acting.

2013-03-28 05:44:35

Good Movie But You Have To Be a Burke Fan To Love It

This review is from: In the Electric Mist [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) If you're a James Lee Burke fan you'll love this movie. Tommy Lee plays a great 'Dave Robicheaux' though Mary Steenburgen is little used as Bootsie. I was a little ticked off to see that the movie version of 'Tripod' had all four legs. (Couldn't they find a Veterinarian willing to help with continuity?) John Goodman plays 'Baby Feet' and looks like he really enjoyed the part.The film is a gift to the writer's fans. Shot in New Iberia and Teche Bayou. People unfamiliar with Burke might find the film a bit disjointed and some of the characters are poorly developed (like Alafair, Dave's daughter) Heck, Cletus Purcell never even makes an appearance.Beautifully shot on HD you get a real feel for the country and towns. Tommy Lee is superior to Alec Baldwin's version of Robicheaux in the 1996 'Heaven's Prisoners'. After seeing the film my wife and I drove from Florida to Teche Bayou. We found the Teche Motel where they shot the scene where Robicheaux's buddy allegedly kills himself. Spent the night in the same cottage (#12) and loved every minute of it. The motel owner's name is Rosebud. Just tell her you want to stay where those 'Movie People' were. $40 a night to be part of filmdom. Rosebud will excitedly tell you the whole story. Apparently she and Tommy Lee are on a first name basis.A great whodunit for most people. For Burke fans who already know the ending it's like sitting back and watching a beautiful sun rise.

2013-03-27 13:58:46

Do ANYTHING but watch this sleeper.

What a bad script. What bad acting from many of the non-stars. What a bad editing job. I see why this was never released in theaters; patrons would want their money back. Go watch TV. It HAS to be better.

2013-03-27 17:42:14

Boring and Predictable

Standard mediocre movie that doesn't really go anywhere and leaves loose ends that you're glad aren't tied up... because they were also boring

2013-03-27 01:42:11

Worst Movie EVER!

SOFA KING WE TODD ID. The most disconnected plot and wasted film. Can't beleive Tommy let this get to the theater.

2013-03-25 07:14:21

I have not read the books

I have not read the books, but found this movie to be wonderfully entertaining. It is an introspective movie, but that's what makes it so wonderful. Tommy Lee Jones does not disappoint, and the mood of the movie is magical just like the bayou and New Orleans. It makes me sad to think that the makers of this movie did not believe that it would do well at the theaters. It's a sad statement of American audiences. Great movie!

2013-03-25 00:45:08

Nice movie !

Tavernier does an excellent job . The cinematography has a textured quality to it that really brings out the lushness of the region. The cast is outstanding.

2013-03-21 23:07:34

IT WAS OK

Tommy Lee Jones is a Sheriff hes looking for the murderer of a prostitute, it has a ok story line and the characters keep you just Interested enough to stick with it, it was an Ok Flick

2013-03-21 09:32:46

Wish it was a better mystery, Tommy Lee Jones is Outstanding

Why isn't this a better movie? Bertrand Tavernier, awesome French director with a ton of really great movies under his belt. Tommy Lee Jones, the absolute perfect actor for a Louisiana policeman. John Goodman, the perfect pig of a criminal. Ned Betty as a slimy owner of a sugar factory. Buddy Guy, my goodness, blues legend BUDDY GUY. The backdrop of the aftermath of Katrina. The list just goes on and on. What went wrong? There's no blues music in this movie, except for one party scene. Why in the world wasn't Buddy Guy used to advantage (he's a horrible actor by the way)? The editing is a terrible mess. There are montages that are perfectly constructed, they leave the viewer guessing or wondering what will happen next. There are some that leave out massive details and expect the viewer to fill in, nice effect when done properly (assumes an intelligent audience). Then there is the bulk of the film, edited straight like a melodrama. The voice over narration works for a time, but the technique gets lost and way under used. It's jarring anytime it returns. The worst part of the film, there's a sort of happily ever after ending to a fairly dark movie. There's no real need to know what each character is doing later in life. What was well done - Tommy Lee Jones. Since he is 95% of the film, he plays his role to perfection and is compelling. The cinematography is mostly very well done (there's a few hand held shots that look like reshoots that were poor at best). The dialog is generally clear. The mystery itself is middle of the road. For murder mysteries to work, there has to be fortelling of who did it. The viewer has to have some kind of clues or chance in a million to figure out the murder. All seems very well in this film, the first murder solution progresses along. Then the old murder and a couple of new ones are added. The mystery starts to make less and less sense. It turns needlessly convoluted forcing the viewer to thin, well just tell me already, I'm tired of trying to figure this out. So once the murder is revealed, it's a major let down. The DVD is sparse, film, preview, plus the theatrical trailer. Rated R, but I have no real good clue why it got an R rating. There was one really stupid moment of female nudity for 10 seconds. The film is somewhat violent, there are a number of fights. There isn't any really strong language. A younger mature viewer could see this film easily. Read the novel, don't read the novel? I don't care for that question at all. A film stands on it's own. It's a good film, no matter the book. If a person has to read the book to understand the film, that film is a failure.