A woman is found murdered in the swamp somewhere in the south. A brutal murder, quite possibly a serial killer. A policeman is investigating, and while he does that, another body is found, but this one nothing but bones. This guy (a black guy) was killed 40 years ago, and the policeman suddenly remembers that he saw this murder happening when he was a kid. There doesn't seem to be any sort of connection between the murders, except the man investigating both of them.
Tommy Lee Jones plays the old cop who investigates the murders in the swamp. He is a man fighting his own demons, meaning mostly alcohol, but clearly the death of this black guy has also haunted him for 40 years. He wants justice to be served, but is not willing to do whatever it takes, at least not in the beginning.
This movie is not the most exciting crime movie out there. One thing that makes it stand out from most of them, though, is that it doesn't want to trick us. From the beginning, we know where the plot is going, we just need to follow it all the way to the end and see the ends being tied together. The story is ok, solid, but what really makes this thriller different is the characters and the pace. It is not afraid to slow down the pace and gives us a look into the people who live here, and those visiting. I especially liked the element introduced with Elrod Sykes and Kelly Drummond, two movie stars down here shooting a movie. By the way, it is Elrod who finds the old bones while taking a piss. The confrontations between a drunken Elrod and a sober Dave (the cop), are brilliant and really gives this movie a lot of heart.
I also want to mention the music in this movie. It is there, but doesn't overshadow the images and plot, and most importantly, it has a very unique rhythm, like a beating heart, that drives us forward together with Dave Robicheaux. You notice it, but you don't notice it, if you know what I mean. Brilliant.
Last words... don't expect this movie to offer you gore and violence. Sure, people die, but you never actually see any sickly images. That's not the story it wants to tell, it wants to give you an insight into a man, a man that isn't so different from you and I.
