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NO ONE CAN ESCAPE THE SINS OF THE PAST
Lt. Dave Robicheaux, a detective in New Iberia, Louisiana, is trying to link the murder of a local hooker to New Orleans mobster Julie 'Baby Feet' Balboni, who is co-producer of a Civil War film. When the star of the film, Elrod Sykes, reports finding another corpse in the Atchafalaya Swamp near the movie set, Robicheaux starts another investigation, believing the corpse to be the remains of a black man whose murder he witnessed 35 years earlier.
CinemaSerf
Nov 27, 2024 · via TMDB
The problem from the outset of this film is that it is far too convoluted. That is a shame because Tommy Lee Jones as "Lt. Robicheaux" is on really good form. This adaptation of James Lee Burke's book needed a much more aggressive perspective in adapting the story to keep it taut to watch. This story sees him investigating the murder of a local prostitute who is tied up (not literally!) with local mobster "Baby Feet Balboni" (John Goodman) who is co-funding an American Civil War film. Simultaneously, the star of that movie - "Elrod Sykes" (Peter Sarsgaard) is pulled over for being under the influence and reveals that he has found a body in a swamp. A body that our detective believes may have been that of a person he saw murdered some 30-odd years ago... Investigations galore!! This is a much more character-driven crime drama with few distractions from what is a good lead performance of a good story. It is directed well when it is focussed, but it is not always focussed and at times it is just too busy.
Wuchak
Oct 5, 2023 · via TMDB
**_Tommy Lee Jones as a tough sleuth in the bayous of the Deep South_** A no-nonsense detective in the heart of Louisiana (Jones) tries to stay away from alcohol as he investigates the murder of a young prostitute, as well as a murder from the mid-60s of a black man in the swamp. John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Mary Steenburgen and Ned Beatty appear in secondary roles. Based on the 1993 book, “In the Electric Mist” (2009) is a detective drama/thriller with a Southern Gothic milieu. Imagine “U.S. Marshals” if it were set in the Deep South, like “No Mercy,” "Cape Fear" or “The General’s Daughter.” The details of the book are absent so you have to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but I loved the bayou atmosphere even though some of the peripheral actors seem like they memorized their lines 15 minutes before their scenes were shot. The movie runs 1 hour, 57 minutes, and was shot New Iberia, Louisiana, which is 15 miles southeast of Lafayette and 130 miles west of New Orleans. Areas nearby were also used, including Catahoula, Albania Plantation in Jeanerette, St. Martinville and Charenton. GRADE: B-
Kenneth Axel Carlsson
Dec 31, 2014 · via TMDB
A woman is found murdered in the swamp somewhere in the south. A brutal murder, quite possibly a serial killer. A policeman is investigating, and while he does that, another body is found, but this one nothing but bones. This guy (a black guy) was killed 40 years ago, and the policeman suddenly remembers that he saw this murder happening when he was a kid. There doesn't seem to be any sort of connection between the murders, except the man investigating both of them. Tommy Lee Jones plays the old cop who investigates the murders in the swamp. He is a man fighting his own demons, meaning mostly alcohol, but clearly the death of this black guy has also haunted him for 40 years. He wants justice to be served, but is not willing to do whatever it takes, at least not in the beginning. This movie is not the most exciting crime movie out there. One thing that makes it stand out from most of them, though, is that it doesn't want to trick us. From the beginning, we know where the plot is going, we just need to follow it all the way to the end and see the ends being tied together. The story is ok, solid, but what really makes this thriller different is the characters and the pace. It is not afraid to slow down the pace and gives us a look into the people who live here, and those visiting. I especially liked the element introduced with Elrod Sykes and Kelly Drummond, two movie stars down here shooting a movie. By the way, it is Elrod who finds the old bones while taking a piss. The confrontations between a drunken Elrod and a sober Dave (the cop), are brilliant and really gives this movie a lot of heart. I also want to mention the music in this movie. It is there, but doesn't overshadow the images and plot, and most importantly, it has a very unique rhythm, like a beating heart, that drives us forward together with Dave Robicheaux. You notice it, but you don't notice it, if you know what I mean. Brilliant. _Last words... don't expect this movie to offer you gore and violence. Sure, people die, but you never actually see any sickly images. That's not the story it wants to tell, it wants to give you an insight into a man, a man that isn't so different from you and I._
Andres Gomez
Jun 16, 2014 · via TMDB
Tommy Lee Jones performance is superb and the Southern US atmosphere is really genuine but the story is just made overcomplicated and disappointing.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Tommy Lee Jones
Dave Robicheaux
John Goodman
Julie 'Baby Feet' Balboni
Peter Sarsgaard
Elrod Sykes
Mary Steenburgen
Bootsie Robicheaux
Kelly Macdonald
Kelly Drummond
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 Cesar Cedillo
Cholo Manelli
Bernard Hocke
Murphy Doucet
John Sayles
Michael Goldman
Gary Grubbs
Sheriff
Adella Gautier
Clothilde
Louis Herthum
Doobie Patout
Ritchie Montgomery
Club Leon Bartender
Tony Molina Jr.
Adonis Brown
Randy Austin
St. Clare Parish Deputy
Richard Andrew Jones
Sollie Rothberg
Andrea Frankle
Margot
Rio Hackford
—
Mitch Landrieu
Thanks
Bertrand Tavernier
Director
Michael Fitzgerald
Producer
Kira Roessler
Dialogue Editor
Johnny Caruso
Music Editor
Marco Beltrami
Original Music Composer
Bridget O'Driscoll
Supervising Sound Editor
Jerzy Kromolowski
Screenplay
The Boy from Dead Man's Bayou
In the Heat of the Night: A Matter of Justice
Overkill
Wściekły
M
Kind Hearts and Coronets
Vengeance Is Mine
Glory
It Happened in Broad Daylight
Down by Law
Murder She Said
Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Murder Most Foul
Murder Ahoy
The Dead Zone
The Criminal Who Stole a Crime
Gettysburg
Fantômas
Fallen
The Red Inn
Last Stand at Saber River
The Child I Never Was
The Woman in Green
Dark City
The Vexxer
Bubba Ho-tep
Mindhunters
Gods and Generals
Louisiana Story
I Can't Sleep
Jason Lives - Friday the 13th Part VI
Shy People
Felicia's Journey
Watch Out, Madame
The Exorcist III
One Missed Call
Tell Me Something
Friday the 13th Part 2
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Tightrope
The Double Hour
Jennifer Eight
Jerry Cotton: Death in the Red Jaguar
House of Wax
Surveillance
Switchback
The Return of Doctor X
Doctor X
Das Karussell des Todes
Bad Asses on the Bayou
The Hitcher
Friday the 13th Part III
White of the Eye
Blue Steel
Texas Killing Fields
Pretty Maids All in a Row
88 Minutes
The Man Behind the Scissors
The Flowers of Kirkuk
Hunter's Blood
1 Buck
A Crime
The Girl on the Late, Late Show
Hell of a Summer
Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood
The Infernal Trio
The Glimmer Man
Natural City
Nora Roberts' Midnight Bayou
The Traveler
A Good Marriage
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
The Pharmacist
Creature from Black Lake
Anamorph
Madman
Bayou Ghost Story
The Last Ride
Voodoo Dawn
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Derrick - Die Pflicht ruft!
Stolen Identity: The Last Hacker
Death Pool
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
Wilder
The Legend of Bloody Mary
Black Art Collection -Testimony-
Rat Scene
Tropa Time
Crime Without Witness
Untitled
L.A. Confidential
Barron's Cove
The Initiated
Fallen
House by the River
Kiss the Girls
Devil in a Blue Dress
Dead Man's Folly
Crooked House
The Deadly Affair
The Big Easy
Blood Work
American Gigolo
The Public Eye
Tightrope
God Is a Bullet
A Murder of Crows
Marlowe
Inside Man
Cleaner
Shimmer Lake
The Virtuoso
Striking Distance
The Locksmith
Righteous Kill
Suburbicon
The Ritual Killer
No Mercy
Feb 18, 2009
New Iberia, Louisiana
Mar 3, 2009
DVD
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Bicara Cinta
2020
The Pied Pipers of Harlow
1965
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
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