Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)

Although based on a true story, it didn't exactly happen this way. A wealthy "upstanding" Savannah citizen kills someone in his home. Is it self defense or murder? This movie has everything: Comedy, sexual deviations (homosexuality, cross-dressing), eccentric characters, voodoo, and a Matlock-Perry Mason-style trial. The trial is well-staged and was not boring to me;The "surprise" ending where "poetic justice is served" is somewhat contrived. It's more of a how-done-it than a who-done it, as the defendant confesses to the magazine reporter what really happened. The intended "victim" almost gets shot but the Luger still has the safety on. Then he kills his assailant, anyway. Hints of possible incest and an illegitimate child? Blackmail? A real transsexual portrays "herself", hilariously. Two playfully haunting voodoo seances through both white and colored cemeteries, plus a modern-day black cotillion show the old and new city. Beautifully photographed in Savannah, Georgia, where it "happened". Wonderful songs by Johnny Mercer. Actually, There were 4 trials (he was acquitted) and it took its toll. The man died almost a decade later of pneumonia and a heart attack. Other objections make this from being a "10": What else is fictional or minutes too long, although introducing the characters makes for great fun. Also, the "F" word is used far too many times? Scene sealers: "Chablis" the Entertainer, the mascot bulldog and the pet pussycat. The funniest hospital scene since "9 to 5". Because of great direction by Clint Eastwood,the movie has a "sense-of-style" about it. Since I enjoyed the movie, I upgraded it from the "8" rating it probably deserves.

I have not read the book, but I did enjoy the film. Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil" is a pretty solid noirish mystery story with some odd, quirky characters and interesting twists and turns. This is based on a true story, but it is a film so some of the facts and details have been changed from the original story. The story is told from the point of view of John Kelso(Cusack) a writer who becomes embroiled with a murder case and encounters some truly interesting people from the Savannah, Georgia area. We have the Lady Chablis(who plays herself in the movie), a transsexual stand up comedienne, Minerva, a practitioner of voodoo, a man that walks an imaginary dog and a nut job that keeps flies attached to his shirt and threatens to poison the water supply.(that character is played by Eastwood regular, Geoffrey Lewis) John Cusack gives a good performance here, but is nearly outshined by Kevin Spacey, who plays a rich eccentric on trial for murder. Also worth noting is Clint's daughter Alison Eastwood appears and is gorgeous and love interest for leading man John Cusack. The film looks and sounds good and in spite of its oddness or quirkiness plays as a well made and classy film. Interesting film for sure, I definitely need to check out the book.

Without a doubt, the colourful story line and intrigued guide this brilliant script through the gorgeous streets of Savannah, Georgia. The US South's historical cities are probably some of the most beautiful in the entire world, whether its historical New Orleans or Savannah. I only wish I was able to live in such a place, stuck in the dreary West Coast struggling to have 22 degree highs in the summer, but enough about me. The combination of story line, the feel of the movie, and the excellent acting of Spacey lead me to give this underrated movie a 10-10, which I have only reserved for exception movies, like Ronin, Casino, and The Goodfellas. This is a brilliant piece of work and should be watched by every movie buff.

I love this movie intensely. It is a movie adaptation of a book of the same name. If you're a fan of sleuthy novels, you should really pick that book up sometime, as it combines the mystery genre with the charm of a comic book. The movie exaggerates or completely alters the book version. That's not necessarily bad. I first saw this movie on USA one late night and I've never regretted it. It stars John Cusack as John Kelso, a writer who takes on a reporter job for Town & Country to cover a notoriously extravagant tradition of a party that is annually hosted by Jim Williams, played by Kevin Spacey. The parties take place in Savannah, Georgia, a charming city that otherwise falls in obscurity, had it not been for its flamboyant characters and stories. Kelso attends the party as planned, meets some colorful characters along the way and seemingly prepares to depart as the job is now done. Except for the fact that the man who hosts this party, who also asked for Kelso himself to cover it; being a fan of his literary work, commits a murder during the same night of the party and Kelso finds himself not only involved in the ensuing events, but oddly drawn to the mystery behind it as well. The movie delivers some strong performances: John Cusack is always a pleasure to watch and is really an underrated actor, considering he started out as a teen in easygoing movies like 'Class' and 'Better off Dead' and has evolved into a seriously versatile actor with commanding on screen presence. I love watching the guy. Kevin Spacey never fails to disappoint in this movie, and it is probably one of his most finest roles ever, because he embraces the mythology around his real life counterpart and was praised for his uncanny resemblance to him by real party goers who met Jim Williams during his parties. You really have to be a hateful person to not appreciate the chemistry Cusack and Spacey share on screen. Actual persons related to the actual events appeared in the film; most notable Jerry Spence and Sonny Seiler who defended Jim Williams in the real trial. That alone, gives the movie an already settling atmosphere, even though some names and events have been changed for the sake of dramatization. Now, you can't hate this movie for its accuracy. Fact of the matter is, we love drama and we regard them as gems when they are done right. We love Sci-Fi movies, even though 90% of the happenings in the movie are not true. It's still a great movie, that doesn't need to follow the book because the city itself is surrounding by doubtful myths and occurrences. It strongly suggests that a lot of voodoo is practiced by certain people, including Williams himself, and the fact is, it is not so. Many people from Savannah are just as god-fearing as anyone and some even decry the rumors about it, but it adds flavor to the story, which in agreement, is very purposeful. Many characters in the movie leave you with a feeling of content because of how they were portrayed; Joe Odom and Lady Chablis being the most notable. They are supporting characters that made you wish they had more screen time or more development in their stories, hell, even a sequel but of course, that may be too much in this case. The party scenes look as lavish and ostentatious as you'd want. It really does not look as uptight as it would have you believe, for some of the characters display an outrageous and downright funny demeanor in their performances. It really has made me interested in visiting Savannah in all of its vintage glamour, but according to my own research and recent anecdotes, the atmosphere is now different. The movie was very well done and given the obvious anachronisms and factual errors, it is a charming and delightful piece of cinema that should be watched by all. It really meshed a nice touch of ambiguous comedy and grim outlook with some elegant performances and sarcastic cheerfulness. I have it on DVD and will watch it every once in awhile, just so I can soak up some of its magnetic visuals and become immersed in the story. I do that with video games sometimes too, especially if the story and gameplay is genuinely compelling. Im weird, I know. If you haven't watched this movie, do so. It is not a waste of time at all, because at the very worst, it is a interesting film that doesn't miss its mark even if you're not a fan of the genre.