Mississippi Burning
"A Startling History Lesson. A Chilling Detective Tale!" -Los Angeles Times
Starring two-time Oscar® winner Gene Hackman and Academy Award® nominee Willem Dafoe, Mississippi Burning "ranks as one of the most potent and insightful views of racial turmoil yet produced" (Variety). Nominated for six Oscars® and winner of an Academy Award® for Best Cinematography, this emotionally charged film vividly captures "a crucial chapter in American history" (Time)!
As three civil rights activist drive down a desolate stretch of highway, headlights ominously draw near. Telling each other to stay clam, they have no way of knowing that in minutes they will disappear into the night and spark one of the most explosive murder investigations in history. Enter straight-laced Ward (Dafoe) and deceptively easy-going Anderson (Hackman). Can these two philosophically opposed FBI agents overcome their differences and uncover the chilling mystery of a small Ku Klux Klan-ridden community before an entire town is torn apart by racism?
Member Reviews
Gets Us Emotionally Charged - c4th
No movie awakened North Americans more to domestic civil rights issues and specifically the practices of the Klu Klux Klan than Mississippi Burning. The images are lasting. The hanging of a black man with his home engulfed in flames in the background, the smiling little girl at the KKK rally, the burning crosses become imprinted and raise a whole array of intense emotions.
There are many flaws that can be debated. Historical accuracy, its depiction of a concerned and righteous FBI against the all evil white south, the absence of characters representing middle class or wealthy (black or white), the lack of prodding from Civil Rights Activist Groups all come into question. However, if we judge this movie for its ability to stir up our emotions against racism and prejudice, it clearly meets the objective. Any way you look at it, racism is ugly. The first step in combating this scourge is to remove any obscurities and expose that ugliness, and Mississippi Burning is bold enough to paint it as plainly as it can. Movies that try to do too much often reduce their punch and if there is one thing this movie does well, it is deliver a punch - in the gut.
Mississippi Burning is entertaining and thought provoking. More importantly it creates awareness and raises our motivation to confront our daily encounters with the subtle actions and words that keep racism brewing. The more intellectual exercise of understanding realistic complexities and exposing the sinister cloakings that obscure racism is best left to another movie. Mississippi Burning gets us emotionally charged to tackle that next step.How Monstrous humanity often is - swissguy
This film is well acted, well filmed, suspenseful, the plot develops well - it's just a great film, however, I gave it five stars because it is more than just that as it succeeds in representing the sick reality that is human hatred and oppression. I could feel the oppression hanging from every frame of the film from the condescending Sheriff and Deputy to the brutal beatings of the black people. Southern oppression was insidious - it did, after all, take calling in the national guard to protect the first black students to enter "ole Miss" (the University of Mississippi). Much has changed since then to the point that Presidential hopeful Barrack Obama spoke at "Ole Miss" just recently, however, there is still so far to go and in other countries there are other people's who are being oppressed and beaten and hated for no other reason than just because they are who they are. In the film, at one point, a preacher tells his black congregation "I am sick of it, I am sick of having to say" "Good morning Sheriff Sir" "I want to just say Sheriff and I want you to be sick of it too, I want you to be angry". I too want you to be sick of it and be angry, I want you to want humanity to stop hating. Watch the film its a good start.What Has Four Eyes And Can't See? - newdaysof
This is a riveting film that depicts the war against Blacks in the 1960's Mississippi. Based on actual events, it follows two FBI agents who investigate the disappearance (and murder) of three civil-rights workers - one Black and two Jews.
Told in stark and graphic detail, the film shows how deep and how violent the hatred against the Blacks really was. Willem Dafoe plays a "by the books" investigator who wants to solve the crime and fight racism using standard FBI procedure. Gene Hackman superbly plays the jaded southerner who knows what the FBI is up against and uses southern charm and cunning to get clues to the murder mystery. Their clashing styles creates another layer of tension right up until the final moments.
This is a must-see movie for every human being so that they understand how ugly and brutal racism really can be and the need to avoid it at all costs. It is a edge-of-your seat crime-drama that will keep you hooked right until the end.
And the answer to the above riddle of course is: Mississippi.
Member Reviews
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Gets Us Emotionally Charged - c4th
No movie awakened North Americans more to domestic civil rights issues and specifically the practices of the Klu Klux Klan than Mississippi Burning. The images are lasting. The hanging of a black man with his home engulfed in flames in the background, the ...How Monstrous humanity often is - swissguy
This film is well acted, well filmed, suspenseful, the plot develops well - it's just a great film, however, I gave it five stars because it is more than just that as it succeeds in representing the sick reality that is human hatred and oppression. I could ...What Has Four Eyes And Can't See? - newdaysof
This is a riveting film that depicts the war against Blacks in the 1960's Mississippi. Based on actual events, it follows two FBI agents who investigate the disappearance (and murder) of three civil-rights workers - one Black and two Jews.
Told in stark ...