Run of the mill drama mystery starring Tommy Lee Jones.

The action is set in the Deep South where Dave Robicheaux is a recovering alcoholic cop who also runs a small fishing bait shop. There’s a big movie being made in the town which brings big movie stars Elrod Sky (Peter Sarsgaard) and Kelly Drummond (Kelly Macdonald) into the area and the path of Robicheaux.

When Elrod tells Robicheaux of a decayed corpse he has found the mysteries start to come to the fore as Robicheaux thinks back to a murder he witnessed as a teenager. There has also been a series of recent murders of young women which puts local mobster Julie ‘Baby Feet’ Balboni (Dan Goodman) in the frame as usual. There’s a lot going on in the movie with little sub plots and it’s not easy to follow at times and a little confusing.

The film is based on the novel Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke. I have not read the book but it seems like most fans of Burke really enjoyed the adaptation and thought that Jones nailed the part of Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux. Other reviewers have commented how if you have read the book it makes a lot more sense.

The slightly incoherent nature of the film adds to the sense of intrigue and mystery which does keep you interested for the duration but ultimately leaves you a little flat and dissatisfied at the end.

The setting and the cinematography capture an atmospheric, eerie and scenic Louisiana to great effect.

Tommy Lee Jones is as watchable as ever as is Dan Goodman. Peter Sarsgaard is good as the drunken actor Elrod Sykes.

Not the worst film in the world to watch but as a DVD purchase or to rent probably not - except for die hard James Le Burke fans who may dig it a lot more.