**_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-