Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil [1998]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Readers of John Berendt's bestselling novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, were bound to be at least somewhat disappointed by this big-screen adaptation, but despite mixed reaction from critics and audiences, there's still plenty to admire about director Clint Eastwood's take on the material. Readers will surely miss the rich atmosphere and societal detail that Berendt brought to his "Savannah story," and the movie can only scratch the surface of Georgian history, tradition and wealthy decadence underlying Berendt's fact-based murder mystery. Still, Eastwood maintains an assured focus on the wonderful eccentrics of Savannah, most notably a gay Savannah antiques dealer (superbly played by Kevin Spacey), who may or may not have killed his friend and alleged lover (Jude Law). John Cusack plays the Town & Country journalist who arrives in Savannah to find much more than he bargained for--including the city's legendary drag queen Lady Chablis (playing "herself")--and John Lee Hancock's smoothly adapted screenplay succeeds in bringing Berendt's characters vividly to life with plenty of flavourful dialogue. --Jeff Shannon

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Customer reviews

review by: Suzanne Mckay date: 2008-08-05 rating:
O.K
This film is ok though i did expect a little more as it does star the great actors John Cusack and Kevin Spacey.
It takes a while to get into the film and it could of been made shorter as there is a bit in the middle which drags. But other then that a good story and is watchable.

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review by: date: 2007-10-20 rating:
Is it enough just to be beautiful?
John Berendt's book, 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' was a stateside best seller which put the beautiful leafy haven of Savannah on the international map. It was only a matter of time before this dark, intriguing story of murder amongst friends in the Deep South was adapted for the screen. With wiley old cowboy Clint Eastwood on board as director, it's no surprise to find that it plays out like a western, conceived in the stiffling Savannah heat. Eastwood uses long meandering shots to create the oppressive mood, while the gossamer thin plot is fleshed out by eccentric characters.

The scene stealing Lady Chablis, an outspoken transvestite, and the seriously odd Luther Diggas, a man who attaches flies to his head on pieces of string, are both engaging enough, but they're minor characters, and cannot possibly carry the film. The main story concerns journalist John Kelso (presumably Berendt's alter ego) and his interest in wealthy socialite Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey). John Cusack provides a competant Kelso, but the character is almost too familiar. He appears to be nothing but a regurgitated, watered down version of Cusack's hitman with a heart from Grosse Pointe Blank. Another torturous outing for the ordinary man in an extraordinary world - surely this is colour by numbers for Cusack? Spacey is even less convincing as Jim Williams. For a man so well known for his understated approach to acting, his nauseating Southern drawl comes across as laboured, and he strolls around the lavish sets like a man with far too much starch in his collar.

This film certainly had the potential to be the vibrant pot-boiler of a drama that it was heralded as. When Jim Williams is found with a gun in his hand and his young gay lover lying dead on the floor, the court case that ensues should be full of suspense and drama. That it isn't can be primarily put down to one thing. The literary inspiration behind the film is just too strong to allow it to stand alone. Cinematically, Midnight is very pretty to look at, but an over-reverential approach to the source material has created a shallow, timid film. Every scene, every character, every line screams out 'based on the book', and while the film could have given us drama and emotional insight, it chooses only to reflect the half-truths and hearsay already documented in the book.

Savannah has become something of a tourist attraction for John Berendt's fans, so as the film was shot on location there will no doubt be an eager audience satisfied just to see the place where the dirty deed was alleged to have happened. In this respect the film is certainly beautifully crafted, but sadly it serves little other purpose. All the eccentricity and anecdotes do not disguise the fact that it is a poor cousin to the book that inspired it, and sadly it is not always the case that interesting people make for interesting films. At one point Kelso describes Savannah as "Gone with the Wind on mescaline". The truth of the film is it's more like the bland dressed up as the beautiful.

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review by: pepper flower date: 2007-07-03 rating:
Savanah, Georgia: "Gone with the wind on mescaline"
It is within the exclusive historical and southern city of Savannah Georgia, that Jim Williams, a wealthy respected citizen holds his parties for the high society to which he belongs. Jim lives a privileged life and knows his friends compete to be included on his guest list. Jim chose John Kelso, a writer for Town and Country magazine to review his Christmas party, *the* spectacular social event of the season. Jim's home is a mansion dating back to the Civil War, the property and buildings take up a full city block. I love how the film reveals so much about the history, mystery and exclusiveness of Savannah society. The eccentric characters who reside in this fair southern city are gradually introduced. They have so many facets to their unsual personalities and natures that the viewer is held captive, in suspense, anxiously waiting for dark ghosts to appear or well kept secrets to be revealed. I was glued to this film from start to finish. The demarcations of various levels in society as well as the deep southern culture were reason enough to remain entranced but then add to this mix a little voo doo ceremony in a cemetery and a very lovely black female entertainer named Lady Chablis, the film becomes nonstop entertainment. The eccentricities of specific characters makes the plot, drama, and murder mystery fit together like a good puzzle.

John Kelso is nearly speechless when he discovers Mandy, a curvaceous and beautiful blonde knocking on his door during the wee hours of the morning, allegedly to borrow ice for a party next door. John is invited to a party where he learns that Mandy and her partner Joe Odom own a local jazz club. The southern lifestyle in Savannah is rich with fascinating customs. John Kelso is beginning to enjoy his assignment. At the William's Christmas party John meets even more wealthy and prestigious socialites, the upper crust of Savannah society.

The morning after the party, John is awakened by police car sirens. He learns a murder had occured at Mercer House and that Jim Williams was arrested. In his own study Jim had shot one of his hired workers, allegedly in self-defense. Jim pleads innocent to the charge of murder. As the trial begins, suspicions abound about Jim and his relationship to his employee. John Kelso believes Jim is innocent and does research to bring forth evidence to this effect. On one of his sojourns he meets "Lady Chablis" one of the most unusual characters in the film. She plays a key role in the trial. Jim's defense is sounding less convincing after the fact becomes known that there is no gunpowder residue on the hands of the victim. Sonny Jim's lawyer has his work cut out for him. The twists and turns of the plot during the trial make for a thrilling and sharply curved roller coaster of a viewing experience. One night John Kelso has a brain-storm. He visits Mandy who helps him sneak into the hospital morgue where by serendipity he discovers a clue which helps Jim's case. This crucial evidence provides the reasonable doubt necessary which will likely convince the jury to get Jim off the murder wrap.

This film is most fascinating because of how it depicts the lifestyle of Savannah, local history, the unique southern culture and the different social strata of society. The entire film is very delightful and entertaining. The characters are colorful, eccentric, and very charming ... Amazingly, the story is based on real events which happened in Savannah but with slight changes and variations made due to adapting the book into a film. In some cases the actual people play themselves and no one could imagine better characters than the real ones. This film is worth viewing more than once for the many fascinating details related to the plot, location, and cultural setting: Savannah, Georgia.
Erika Borsos (pepper flower)

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review by: date: 2006-07-13 rating:
a classy film with lots of intrigue
When I saw John Cusack in "Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil" I couldn't help thinking that he was Clint Eastwood acting as a "nice" person.Cusack plays his role so assuredly and projects a cool,cool image.Whether Eastwood had seen him in other films and had noticed this himself,or Cusack had Eastwood in mind when the cameras were rolling,I can only speculate,but
the net result of Cusack being in this film is that it has class stamped all over it.I haven't read the book the movie was based on and can only judge it on its own merits.It is always interesting,often exceptionally so,and will keep the viewer guessing until the end.Well worth watching.



review by: date: 2004-01-10 rating:
The lady Chablis and Minerva steal the show
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is the story of writer John Kelso (John Cusack) from the big city hired to cover a famous Savannah Christmas party for "Town & Country" magazine. Though he arrived with the intentions of completing a mere literary postcard of 500 words, by the end of the night - after the party's host, an antique dealer (Kevin Spacey), has been accused of murdering an employee of his estate (Jude Law) - Kelso decides to remain in Savannah long enough to complete a book on the scene he describes to his agent as being, "like Gone with the Wind on mescaline."

Interesting as the main characters are, I believe it is in researching for his book that Kelso meets the two true stars of the show: Minerva, the Vodou priestess who cautions the inquisitive writer that "there ain't no answers," and The Lady Chablis, the drag queen with a Diana Ross flair who offers to unwrap her candy for the reluctant yankee. These ladies, along with the other supporting characters, such as the eccentric who glues live bees to strings that are tied to his lapel (locals treat him with a fearful reverence, afraid he may poison the city's water supply if upset), the man employed to walk a dog that died decades ago, and the career squatter/jazz musician, are the true heart of this story. They are all dynamic and charismatic enough to make me forget that, yes, sometimes the editing is a little choppy. And Savannah comes across as an exquisitely beautiful city (this movie must've done wonders for tourism).

I really love Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil!

Andrew Parodi

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