Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A timeless piece of eccentric south
I have lived in the south all my life. Watching this movie reminded me of how beautiful and special this place is. Clint Eastwood's interpretation of John Berendt's piece of literary art was splendid in its own right. It reminded me of how rich our heritage is. The music, the superb casting (no one can deny the talent of the great Kevin Spacey) and the seemingly endless parade of characters kept me enthralled from the beginning. It's not often a film can pull at my heartstrings, teach me something about tolerance and history, reveal such beauty and amuse me at the same time. The movie so moved me that I read the book. Although somewhat different, each form was intriguing. I have just returned from Savannah. I was constantly reminded of the story of Jim Williams as I walked the squares and felt the history therein. This filmed turned attention once again to a wonderful magical place, the South.
Rating: - What an outstanding movie!!!
I have always been a little bit skeptical when it came to Clint Eastwood as a director. However, after watching "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", my doubts were put to rest. Clint Eastwood assembled a great cast including John Cusak, Kevin Spacey, Jude Law, Irma P. Hall, and his very own extremely beautiful wife Alison Eastwood to bring the story to life. All of their performances are excellent. The story is set in Savannah, Georgia which provided the perfect atmosphere of mystery to the film. The voo-doo aspect as a whole really made ths film suspenseful and creepy at times. The take on the Garden of Good and Evil is very original. The time of 11:30-12:00 is communicate with the good spirtis, and 12:00-12:30 is to communicate with the evil ones. This really added to the mysteriousness of the film. The film also manages to take a look at Savanah as a whole and show that appearances can be very deceptive. While it can be beautiful and mysterious, it can also be deceptive and full of backstabbers at the same time. The atmosphere and the culture in Savanah really makes the film! The story is perfect in its own right. John Cusak plays John Kelso. He is a free-lance journalist who comes to Savanah to do a 500 word essay on the Christmas Party of rich socialite Jim Williams ( played wonderfully by Kevin Spacey). Things get interesting when the end of the night results in the murder of a local huster/gigolo Billy Hanson ( Jude Law). According to Jim he shot Billy in self defense, however he is charged with first degree murder. Sensing that there is something more to the story, John Kelso decides to stay in town a little while longer and do some investigating of his own. As the case unfolds we are introduced to the seedy homosexual underworld of Savanah, the local voo-doo woman Minerva ( Irma P Hall) who has the ability to communicate with the dead, and many other twists and turns along the way. We are also witness to watching the case in the courtroom as well, and I extremely enjoyed that aspect of the film. I have seen many courtroom dramas in my time, but this film is one of the best I have ever scene. Watching Spacey's lawyer (played wonderfully by Jack Thompson)is outstanding because you get to watch him relate to the jury, and play to their sense of loyalty towards a fellow member of Savanah. It is great watching him sound like a regular guy off the street, instead of your typical textbook lawyer. The ending to this film will literally shock you, and you will be forced to pick your jaw up off the floor. Although the film is 155 minutes running, the tempo of the film is paced extremely well, and it never seems long or drawn out. The real gem is the DVD itself. The featurette entitled "The Real People in the Garden",is worth the price of the film alone! It is an interactive tour of Savannah with historical notes and interviews with the people depicted in the movie. This really lets you see the film in a whole new light! Overall, I would have to say that this is Eastwood's best directorial film to date. "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" offers fine performances, a hard to solve murder mystery, a great courtroom drama, an in depth look into the culture of Savanah, and plenty of voo-doo to boot. One of the best all around films I have seen in quite some time. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! Grade : A+ - Ryan Deffley
Rating: - Strange, but I loved it!
This is very strange to me but...
The book on which this film is based is my all time favorite...The movie pales in comparison but I still love it!
The film is certainly more fiction than fact...There were 4 trials...the movie lumps them together in one, the Cusack character is pure fiction and (without giving away the ending)this is not how one of the main characters ended in real life but Savannah is as stunning on film as it is in life! As for Kevin Spacey, well, he is brilliant as usual and Jack Thompson and Dorothy Loudon head a supporting cast that also included Jude Law that is just great. Now for the Lady Chablis. As a gay man I have always found drag and female impersonators just too much too take but THE LADY is just great playing of all people, HERSELF! Due to the lengthy time frame of the actual events and a host of eccentric real life people I think the book should have been made into a mini series but certainly on a cable channel so nothing would have to be edited...
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