Clint Eastwood's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is something of a mixed bag which works well on some levels while totally misfiring on others. Kevin Spacey is the focal point as Jim Williams although he has relatively little screen time compared to co-star John Cusack and Lady Chablis, a real person who, one suspects, is supposed to be larger than life but is actually just annoying. Spacey is interesting to watch, and nails a role that could so easily tip over into caricature in less able hands.
He plays Jim Williams, a wealthy ever-so-slightly effete southern gentleman whose homosexuality is an open secret until he shoots hustler Billy Hanson (a hilariously miscast Jude Law) and faces trial for murder. We see Williams only through the eyes of John Kelso (Cusack), a New York journalist who originally visits Williams' home town of Savannah to cover one of his legendary parties but stays on to write a book about the trial. While this gives director Eastwood the opportunity to introduce the viewer to all relevant (and irrelevant) aspects of the people and social customs of this quaint southern town, it also prevents the film from giving Williams' character the in-depth scrutiny he deserves.
The film meanders along at a leisurely pace that complements the lifestyles of the residents of Savannah, a place which seems to have never made it past the 40s or 50s. But while this should mean we really get to know the characters involved, we never really do. Instead we get a half-hearted romance between Kelso and a local songstress and a quite frankly daft sub-plot involving voodoo and ju-ju that is at odds with most other aspects of the film.
For those who don't need their films to rush along at three seconds per scene this film will prove to be a fairly satisfying watch, even though the ending - which seems to go on forever - will probably prove unsatisfactory.
He plays Jim Williams, a wealthy ever-so-slightly effete southern gentleman whose homosexuality is an open secret until he shoots hustler Billy Hanson (a hilariously miscast Jude Law) and faces trial for murder. We see Williams only through the eyes of John Kelso (Cusack), a New York journalist who originally visits Williams' home town of Savannah to cover one of his legendary parties but stays on to write a book about the trial. While this gives director Eastwood the opportunity to introduce the viewer to all relevant (and irrelevant) aspects of the people and social customs of this quaint southern town, it also prevents the film from giving Williams' character the in-depth scrutiny he deserves.
The film meanders along at a leisurely pace that complements the lifestyles of the residents of Savannah, a place which seems to have never made it past the 40s or 50s. But while this should mean we really get to know the characters involved, we never really do. Instead we get a half-hearted romance between Kelso and a local songstress and a quite frankly daft sub-plot involving voodoo and ju-ju that is at odds with most other aspects of the film.
For those who don't need their films to rush along at three seconds per scene this film will prove to be a fairly satisfying watch, even though the ending - which seems to go on forever - will probably prove unsatisfactory.