In the Electric Mist

2009
15
1h 57m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

20K

YOUR RATING

Tommy Lee Jones and John Goodman in In the Electric Mist (2009)

A detective in the deep South is led into a series of surreal encounters with a troop of Confederate soldiers.

Play trailer1:50

4 Videos

55 Photos

Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

A detective in post-Katrina New Orleans has a series of surreal encounters with a troop of ghostly Confederate soldiers while investigating serial killings of local prostitutes, a 1965 lynch... Read allA detective in post-Katrina New Orleans has a series of surreal encounters with a troop of ghostly Confederate soldiers while investigating serial killings of local prostitutes, a 1965 lynching, and corrupt local businessmen.A detective in post-Katrina New Orleans has a series of surreal encounters with a troop of ghostly Confederate soldiers while investigating serial killings of local prostitutes, a 1965 lynching, and corrupt local businessmen.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

20K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 nominations

Videos4

Photos55

+ 48

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Safe Conduct

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Former Iberia Parish Sheriff Sid Hebert was supposed to play the Sheriff, but he was later replaced by Gary Grubbs. As a sort of consolation, numerous "Re-Elect Sid Hebert" signs were placed in the Sheriff's office, and other places in the film.

Goofs
When a caller hangs up on Dave's cell phone, you hear a dial tone. Cell phones do not have dial tones.

Quotes
Elrod Sykes: Ya ever see the lights in the cypress trees at night?
Dave Robicheaux: That's swamp gas. It'll ignite and all that across the water. It's like ball lightning.
Elrod Sykes: No sir, that's not what it is. It's these guys that are wounded by the lake. They have lanterns coming from some of the ambulances. A lot of the soldiers had maggots on their wounds. It's the only reason they lived. It's 'cause the maggots ate out the infection.
Dave Robicheaux: You been drunk a long time, Elrod. Pretty soon all the trees and alligators will be talking to you.
Elrod Sykes: Yeah... I wasn't drunk. This guy... a General... was standing on a crutch right by the water when he said to me, 'You and your friend, the Law Man, must repel them'.
Dave Robicheaux: I think you're delusional. You might wanna think about goin' to uh A-A meeting with me one time.
Elrod Sykes: Maybe I was a little drunk.

Alternate versions
The film was taken away from its director, Bertrand Tavernier, in post-production, the producers preparing the edit of the film that was released in North America and the UK (running at 104 minutes). However, after the completion of the producers' cut of the film, Tavernier went back to the picture and created his own 'director's cut' of the film, running 117 minutes. This version of the film has been released widely in Europe, and is available on DVD (in an English-friendly version) in France and the Benelux countries.

Connections
Follows Heaven's Prisoners (1996)

Soundtracks
La Terre tremblante
Written by Dirk Powell
Composed by Marco Beltrami
Performed by Dirk Powell and Courtney Granger

User reviews124

Review

Featured review

9/10

Aweome Adaptation

Why this movie went straight to DVD is beyond me. The mood is pure southern Gothic, the acting is terrific, and the story is complicated and sad.

The performances were dead on. TLJ hits Dave Robicheaux on the button. But the best is Mary Steenburgen as Bootsie. She really nails this part.

The story is about a Cajun cop who is haunted by his own demons, and by the demons he faces in his work as an Iberia Parish Deputy. The characters he meets in trying to solve the murders are so true to life that you wonder if the people playing the parts were really actors. John Goodman is great, as usual, as is Ned Beatty.

While a good old fashion murder mystery awaits you, what is more important, as it is in the novels by James Lee Burke, is the story of Robicheaux. He is a man who has a strong moral code, yet is violent, alcoholic, and continually puts his family in danger. The complexity of his character is difficult to portray, but TLJ does it better than anyone else could.

It is a fine, beautiful movie. Now if only another movie could be made that also includes Clete Purcell, one of the best sidekicks ever written in a mystery novel series.