mikedawson-97635 The theme of the film is both state of mind of the detective who is trying to solve two murder cases simultaneously and the cases themselves. If you like movies that question the way we perceive things and how they change due to our level of consciousness then this film is worth watching.

paul2001sw-1 French director Betrand Tavernier usually makes (excellent) films in his own language; but 'In The Electric Mist' is set in deepest Lousiana, and not the Cajun-speaking part either. It's a solid police procedural, but it never rises to the heights of Tavernier's greatest work: one by one, the bodies mount up, strangely without causing anyone but the hero exceptional concern, while the overall portrait of the deep south is somewhat clichéd, a racist place (although the real villains are more misanthropist than particularly racist) but one where the ghost of a confederate general is somehow also a symbol of honour and decency. Tommy Lee Jones puts in a decent turn in the lead role, and I also liked the soundtrack (though it sounded more like mountain than bayou music to me). It's a watchable film, but not one that takes its viewer in any surprising directions.

A_Different_Drummer Yeah, OK, I get the lowish rating.Like they used to say in the 1920s, everyone's a critic.Truer than ever I suppose, with the IMDb.But the strange thing is that I have now seen this movie beginning to end about a half-dozen times and I don't tire of it.That's unusual.Especially with some 600 IMDb reviews under my belt, even I get curious when it is so easy to get lost, to lose time, in what seems at first glance to be just another police procedural with multiple instances of the word "chere" in the script...? Then I look closer and go aha! Jones and Goodman. Jones and Goodman. Jones and Goodman.Two of the best that Hollywood ever produced, each an extraordinarily well-rounded actor, yet each with a special gift at portraying one specific type of character.Jones portraying a cop with no off button, who only knows that every crime must be solved.And Goodman playing a larger than life character who only knows that every event in his life must end with him on top, no matter who has to die in the process. Literally.They take a mundane procedural to the level of art.Mary Steenburgen helps. The whole supporting cast is fine.But Jones and Goodman are doing their best work here, leaving a legacy for actors of the future to study.And no one noticed.Until just now.

Rick James This is not just your typical a-a movie. Beyond the delectable Cajun flavor and the larger-than- life characters, the story is intriguing and probably too complex for the younger shoot-em-up crowd. The mixture of violence with misbehavior by the protagonist/hero makes you think about the moral question of ends justifying the means. The casting is good, the acting fine and on target, the scenery is accurate and the cinematography good enough but not sensational. I saw this in English before a French audience who clearly loved it, probably not even knowing the director is Bertrand Tavernier, a skilled French craftsman who knows how to pace the action and modulate the tension.