In the Electric Mist (2009)

Director:

Bertrand Tavernier

Writers (WGA):

Jerzy Kromolowski (screenplay) &
Mary Olson-Kromolowski (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 April 2009 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Corpse | Drunk Driving | Mobster | Deep South | Movie Star

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones	...	Dave Robicheaux
John Goodman	...	Julie 'Baby Feet' Balboni
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Elrod Sykes
Kelly Macdonald	...	Kelly Drummond
Mary Steenburgen	...	Bootsie Robicheaux
Justina Machado	...	Rosie Gomez
Ned Beatty	...	Twinky LeMoyne
James Gammon	...	Ben Hebert
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Lou Girard
Levon Helm	...	General John Bell Hood
Buddy Guy	...	Sam 'Hogman' Patin
Julio Cedillo	...	Cholo Manelli
Alana Locke	...	Alafair Robicheaux
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Randy Austin	...	St. Clare Parish Deputy
Sandra Leigh Babineaux	...	Newspaper Clerk
Samantha Beaulieu	...	Amber (voice)
Cindy Blanchard	...	Parole Officer
Walter Breaux	...	Batist
Steve Broussard	...	Mr. Trajan
Zach Broussard	...	Captain
Herman Brown	...	Band Member 3 / Drums
Andrea Frankle	...	Margot
Adella Gauthier	...	Old Woman
Danny Grisaffe	...	Uniformed Patrolman
Gary Grubbs	...	Sheriff
Greg Guirard	...	Old Cajun Fisherman
Rio Hackford	...	Thug 2
Louis Herthum	...	Doobie Patout
Bernard Hocke	...	Murphy Doucet
Richard Jones	...	Sollie Rothberg
Richard Landry	...	Photographer
Robert Leblanc	...	Himself - Band Member 4 / Bass
Damon Lipari	...	Stuntman
Tony Molina Jr.	...	Adonis Brown
Ritchie Montgomery	...	Bartender
Matt Naquin	...	Waiter
Chukwuma Onwuchekwa	...	Dewitt prejean
Ryan Rilette	...	Jimmie
John Sayles	...	Michael Goldman
Katie Tull	...	Assistant
Dennis Paul Williams	...	Himself - Band Member 2 / Guitar
Mark A. Williams	...	Band Member 5 / Rubboard
Nathan Williams	...	Band Member 1 / Accordion
John Wilmot	...	Mr. Meaux

Also Known As:

Dans la brume électrique (France)
In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and brief sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

Germany:117 min (Berlin International Film Festival) | USA:102 min (DVD)

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Australia:MA (2009)

Filming Locations:

Albania Plantation - 1842 LA 182 E., Jeanerette, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Ithaca Pictures

Trivia:

Co-stars Ned Beatty and John Goodman previously appeared together on "Roseanne" (1988). Beatty had a recurring role as Goodman's father on the show.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When the Civil War General speaks to Dave and introduces himself he announces his unit affiliation as "Calvary". That is the name of the hill Jesus of Nazareth was crucified on. The name of the horse-mounted military unit is Cavalry.

Quotes:

[first Lines]
Dave Robicheaux: My name's Dave Robicheaux. I'm an alcoholic. Sometimes I'm tempted to have a drink. But I never do.

Movie Connections:

Follows Heaven's Prisoners (1996)

Soundtrack:

La Terre tremblante

Good film

I can count on my fingers with half my hand cut away the number of times I've ever been disappointed by Tommy Lee Jones's performance in a film. This film here is no exception. John Goodman is another who always delivers a solid performance and they both give us a great show. The writing of the script is solid and the setting of the film is provoking. The entire film works well with support from veteran character actors like Ned Beatty, craggy faced James Gammon and ex-drummer Levon Helm, as well as younger performers like Mary Steenburgen, Justina Machado,Kelly Macdonald and the up and coming Peter Sargaard.

One might argue that this kind of a role is almost type casting for Tommy Lee Jones but I would argue otherwise. An actor works with what he has and TLJ has always been able to use his face to great advantage from a stone-cold glare to a sheepish grin. The story is told from his character's point of view, in this case, a person with an uncompromising sense of justice-- not a paragon of virtue, by any means, but one who refuses to sacrifice his principles of right and wrong, i.e., the hero with a decidedly human face. The tension does not let up as the hunt draws closer and closer to the conclusion. While I think the little coda at the end was unneeded, it still works to make a good story.