Couple of interesting genres going on here. We've got a straight-ahead detective story, with dingy settings and down-to-earth characters, contrasted with a supernatural horror movie about voodoo and the occult where Robert De Niro dons long hair and sharp nails. I'm not sure the tandem always works (the more fantastical elements sometimes come off a little absurd in this context), but it's a strangely bewitching experience all the same.
One thing the movie definitely gets right is the descent aspect. From beginning to end, you can tell we're headed somewhere sinister. I guess one could argue that this causes the eventual twists to feel a little telegraphed, and I won't pretend that every step of the investigation is completely riveting, but I still love that you can feel reality slip away as we head to New Orleans and delve deeper and deeper into this unusual mystery, slowly removing the genre trappings until there's nothing left.
Tonally, this is a strange one. I can't tell if it's taking itself too seriously or not seriously enough. But I guess there's something about that weird middle ground that makes for some interesting atmosphere.
Grade: B+
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