Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Kelly MacDonald, Mary Steenburgen, Buddy Guy, John Sayles, Ned Beatty
Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Distributor: Madman Entertainment
Reviewer: Rama Gaind
Expecting the unexpected is of the essence in this thriller which shows how easy it is for sins of the past to resurface.
This adaptation of James Lee Burke’s popular series of mystery novels moves at a slow pace, but holds you in its grip.
Tommy Lee Jones plays the anti-hero cop Dave Robicheaux who is hunting a serial killer who targets young women.
His meets up with Hollywood couple Elrod Sykes (Sarsgaard) and his girlfriend Kelly (MacDonald) who are shooting a new film in town with the backing of local crime boss Baby Feet Balboni (Goodman.
Elrod tells Dave he saw a decomposed corpse of a black man in chains in the swamp. This revelation unleashes past memories for Dave who comes to think that the two cases are linked.
The eerie backwater of rural Louisiana lends weight to the quick-changing ethical backdrop.
It’s all just right for the hard-bitten searcher.
