Southern charm apparent in Eastwoodâs ÎGardenâin the end

By Tracy Rhines
The Metropolitan

Clint Eastwood takes the directorâs chair once again to present  his version of John Berendtâs novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. A tale that starts out simple and gradually becomes a complicated web of murder and intrigue.

John Cusack plays John Kelso, a New York writer sent to Savannah, Ga,. to cover an elegant Christmas party. The lavish event is hosted by Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey), a very influential and eccentric Southern gentleman, with a taste for collecting expensive baubles and rare art.

John finds a culture in Savannah that amazes him, referring to it as ãGone With the Wind on mescaline!ä Itâs a place where they walk dogs that are no longer alive and old women wave firearms at parties, exclaiming, ãI canât wait to shoot a man!ä

The kid gloves are removed when young Billy Hanson (Jude Law) is killed after the festivities. Jim Williams holds the smoking gun but claims self-defense.

Kelso, who witnessed Billy drinking heavily and threatening Jim earlier in the evening, immediately drops his story for the magazine and decides to write a book aboutthe events surrounding the death.

Being an outsider and especially a ÎYankee,â John finds it difficult to get information, until he meets The Lady Chablis. Sheâs the ex-roommate of Billyâs ex-girlfriend and can attest to Billyâs penchant for violent behavior.

Kelso, along with Chablis and other characters he meets, embarks on a mission to find the truth that will free Jim and get John the information for his book.

The movieâs story was fascinating and the characters were interesting, but didnât inspire sympathy for their dilemmas.

The end, where the charactersâ  secrets are revealed in public court, was not as strong as expected.
This is a pity, considering the strong cast of Academy-Award winners and a location with as much charm and flavor as Savannah.