This direct-to-video movie takes place somewhere around New Orleans, Louisiana. In The Electric Mist stars Tommy Lee Jones as Cajun Deputy Dave Robicheaux. He narrates and pretty much stars in every scene of this film. A series of gruesome murders in a town plagued by the usual southern opportunists, bad people, and southern racial issues starts the ball rolling and the Cajun detective is there to make it right. There’s a lot going on the head of Tommy Lee’s character. He’s an alcoholic, a police officer, a father, a husband, and a witness to a murder when he was a kid. He’s also willing to bend the law to see that justice is done. Tommy Lee plays this complex character well. Mary Steenburgen plays his wife, Bootsie, and does a great job but Tommy Lee is in so much of this movie that she only seems important in that she helps give his character depth. John Goodman plays Julie ‘Baby Feet’ Balboni, a bad guy/businessman that has a history with Tommy Lee’s character.
This is an enjoyable movie from beginning to end. Even the slow parts contribute to the mystery and the surreal portions add an extra dimension. There are moments where you can’t tell for sure whether Tommy Lee’s character is drunk, high, or truly being visited by a Southern spirit. This is a good movie, carried very well by Tommy Lee Jones and is worth seeing. I’m more than a little surprised this film never made it to the big screen. I give it a 4 out of 5 marks.