Review of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) by Michael Y — 21 Dec 2010

"They walk imaginary pets here - on a fucking leash, alright? And they're all heavily armed and drunk. New York is boring!" Is how John Kelso (John Cusack) describes Savannah to his agent.

Having read and loved "The Book" as Savannah residents refer to it (which remains one of my favourite pieces of literature), I found the film somewhat lacking. Then again, making a film out of that particular book must have been a tall order. A deliciously bitchy memoir-slash-society gossip column-slash-true crime mystery-slash-travelogue, written in graceful prose by a New York reporter and spanning a period of more than ten years, which said reported spent living in Savannah, Georgia, The Book tells a story that is impossible to re-tell in the film's 155 minutes without making heavy sacrifices. To its credit, the film never feels 155 minutes long.

The cast is outstanding: Kevin Spacey plays Jim Williams, a wealthy antiques dealer, a closet homosexual, and a defendant in a first-degree murder trial. Jude Law is convincing as Billy Hanson, formerly, Jim Williams's sometimes lover, a hustler known as the best piece of ass in town, presently, a murder victim. John Cusack's role as the storyteller is too functional to be memorable ... his job in this film is to pose as a sane / sober individual, thus providing a contrast to Savannah's bouquet of colourful / drunken personalities without appearing a slightest bit interesting himself. Cusack does this job well and with good grace, and there's not much else to be said.

Cinematography is only as good as it has to be, but then again, cinematographic style is not this film's principal source of impact. The soundtrack is nice, but the first prize goes to production designers: Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil really transported me back to Savannah ... a slow moving beautiful town, with its tree-shaded squares and plastic cups. (Those over the age of 21 who have been there will know what they're for.) All in all, it was not a waste of time, the film does have its moments, but it will never be as good as The Book.