Kirpianuscus The games of characters, the atmosphere of South , the brilliant performance of Kevin Specey and the fascinating work of John Cusack are pieces of a great movie about guilty, truth, desires and their high price. an innocent writer, a rich man, clues and a death as key of dark rooms of the life of community. and, always, the ambiguity between what you see and what you know. sure, the references to "Citizen Kane" iis obvious. maybe, too obvious. but , like it, it is a film about the fragility and shadows of a world more than a man. a film of large games. games of destiny or only sketches of a mind who knows the rules of life.

MartinHafer I have had friends tell me that the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is fantastic...better than the book. And, apparently, film reviewers felt the same way...that the movie was a bit of a disappointment. Well, I've never read the book and have no idea if this is the case...but I did enjoy the movie.Now before I talk about that, I must talk about the actual case. Yes, this film is based on a read murder case that was tried (four times) and ultimately resulted in....well, I don't want to spoil the suspense. John Berendt wrote the book about this famous case and instead of making it a standard non-fiction book, wrote it in a narrative fashion that seemed almost like fiction. Now this is important to me, because I can guarantee that much of what I saw in the film was, at the very least, an exaggeration...as no town, not even Savannah, is that weird and I put little credence in the doings of voodoo priest and men who walk non-existent dogs and a guy who wears live bugs on strings about his head. Surely at least SOME of what was in the film (and book) was fiction or at least exaggeration!!The story revolves around a writer, John Kelso (John Cusack). Why he was re-named Kelso and they didn't just say it was John Berendt is odd...and, odder still, that they added a female romantic interest when Berendt was gay! I don't think it's completely a case of white- washing, as several characters in the film were gay and a prominent character, Lady Chablis (played by herself), was a trans-gendered individual.Regardless of this, the story supposedly involved him getting to know the killer before, during and after the case. I assume this was fictionalized by Berendt and/or the filmmakers. Again, regardless, the film is about the ensuing trial and the MANY weirdos John Kelso encounters as he stays in town and watches the events unfold.I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I was surprised when I read that some folks found the film confusing...I thought it all made sense and worked. But the only apprehension I have is that it left me wanting to know the truth of the story...without the embellishments. Well worth seeing and NEVER dull...especially when Chablis was in the film....that is truly memorable!!!

HospehTehGrate I asked a friend to recommend a movie with good acting, he recommended this. Being a die hard Kevin Spacey fan I gave it a try. I watched this with my girlfriend, after about an hour, we had to entertain ourselves out of boredom, what followed was a 90 minute conversation about things we noticed that was much more entertaining.By the end of the movie, it had turned into a comedy movie for us. Good actors, doesn't always mean good movie. Not even Kevin Spacey could turn this flop around.Needless to say, we thought the characters and dialog were unbelievable and boring. I can't recommend this movie to anyone, maybe as an in-flight movie without headphones but still, I bet the book would be better.I can't think of a movie, that I've fully watched, that is worse than this.

Prismark10 Clint Eastwood brings a leisurely pace in Savannah, Georgia as he films the 'faction' novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.John Cusack is having a ball as John Kelso, a journalist sent by Town & Country magazine to cover a Savannah society do which is the talk of the town and attracts the wealthy and the eccentric.Kevin Spacey is also having a ball as Jim Williams, the self made businessman and art collector who throws the lavish party. However later that night Jim kills a former lover and Kelso stays on to investigate and uncover some dark secrets ranging from the gay scene, race and voodoo.Eastwood is too leisurely in its pace and although there are some good turns ranging from Geoffrey Lewis as the man with floating bees, Lady Chablis as a drag queen, Jack Thompson as an exasperated lawyer.Spacey does well in not camping it up too much but I think Eastwood was not entirely comfortable with the material. He is saved by his actors, the quirky characters and the production design. Its clear Eastwood finds Savannah intriguing but I do not think he was convinced himself with the strength of the story.