In the Electric Mist on Blu-ray Disc Review by Rachel Cericola on BigPictureBigSound

Blu-ray Disc and DVD : Blu-ray Disc Reviews

Published: 2009-03-05 - 00:46:10

In the Electric Mist on Blu-ray Disc Review

By Rachel Cericola

The Film

There are plenty of reasons why you haven't heard of certain movies. Still, it would seem like a movie with Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman and Peter Sarsgaard could be worthy of your Netflix queue. Maybe it's an off-the-wall indie?

Unfortunately, that's not the case with In the Electric Mist. This direct-to-video crime thriller based on the best-selling novel by James Lee Burke is the perfect example of "let's get this out already." The movie goes nowhere, the Blu-ray has no special features, and even the press release has a typo in the first sentence. No one else cares, so why should you?

Well, there is the stellar cast, but we're not exactly sure what they are doing. Jones plays Dave Robicheaux, a detective investigating a bunch of blink-and-you-miss-them murders. Sarsgaard is a movie star and Goodman is a sleezebag, and both characters are kind of pointless. Did we mention that

Robicheaux likes to chitchat with deceased Confederate General John Bell Hood (Levon Helm)? Enter at your own risk.

The Picture

Hey, someone must have cared something about this movie, because the 2.35:1 transfer looks pretty good. The fleshtones do look a bit funky, but maybe that's because everyone is getting fried up under the Louisiana sun. Overall, though, it looks pretty nice. After all, we are working with the bayou in Blu-ray, so expect a lot of sharp scenery and small details.

The Sound

Much of the soundtrack plays off like Deliverance 2: Electric Boogaloo (there's even a Ned Beatty sighting!). Thankfully, the banjo duels are few and far between. Otherwise, it's all about the dialogue, which gets a solid delivery via the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

The Extras

It's almost impossible to include less than what we've been given here. There's no commentary, no featurettes; not even a blooper reel. All we get is the theatrical trailer (in HD!), and frankly, that's enough.

Final Thoughts

The tagline for this movie is: "No one can escape the sins of the past." However, you can escape the possibility of ever seeing this movie. Jones delivers a good performance. If that's all you're after, though, go watch The Fugitive for the 40th time.

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