Mississippi Burning (1988)

Too much of everything

As Good As It Gets

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

For once, I'm shocked at the score, this movie deserves a 10/10. Beautiful acting, beautiful people, meaningful story.

This film is an important film to watch because of its subject matter and how the actors chose to portray themselves. It is a hard film and so very harrowing. However I loved it because it was educational and made me really think

Films that deal with civil rights issues can be a touchy subject and Alan Parker's 1988 film about true events was a firestorm for controversy. The film's dark subject matter about violence towards the African-American community in 1963 Mississippi remains an important part of shaped the eventual progress to equality for all races. The film tells the tale of two federal agents (Gene Hackman as Rupert Anderson and Willem Dafoe as Alan Ward) sent to the Deep South to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights workers (two African- American men and one Caucasian man). What the men find is the roots of corruption run deep in the town as the local lawmen and KKK members attempt to scare Anderson and Ward off, but their reserve steels the agents against the hate they constantly endure.As the leads, Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe are the voices of reason among the judgmental and horrible characters in the small town their characters are investigating. Hackman plays the loose cannon officer who will bend the rules to get results while Dafoe is the by-the-books and ethical man, but later converts to Hackman's tactics after tensions boil to a breaking point between Anderson and Ward. The actors' chemistry is palpable as they play off each other in tandem from verbal sparring to their eventual physical confrontation, but without losing a mutual respect for how the other handles the investigation.The narrative is loosely inspired by the actual disappearance and murders of three civil rights workers (as depicted in the film's opening scene). However the movie delves into fiction for the majority of its run-time which does hurt the accuracy of the story. The inaccuracies however do not take away from the gripping power of the story as the movie is more focused on the inherent racism in the South during the 1960s. The movie's subject matter lent to controversy about the violence depicted against the black community, but the film scored Oscar nominations despite the criticism (however star Gene Hackman grew wary about films with such violence which caused him to withdraw from participating in "Silence of the Lambs" after he had bought the rights).Do not miss this film, it'll open your mind on what it was like back in an era of civil unrest.

This film is a fictional re telling of the FBI investigation into the disappearance of three civil rights workers during the 1964 voter registration drive in Mississippi. Directed by British director Alan Parker(Birdy,Angel Heart) it focuses on two contrasting FBI agents. One is Alan Ward(Willem Dafoe), you and idealistic, and the other Rupert Anderson(Gene Hackman) is older and shrewder. Both men want to solve the case,but their different styles mean that they keep butting heads. Anderson, a Southerner,understands the people.He may not be a racist himself, but he knows what motivates people. The story he tells Ward about an incident in his childhood is very telling. He is fully aware about what is right and wrong. Ward on the other hand, is confused by the actions of Southerners.He actually says"What is wrong with these people?" which highlights his anger and frustration.In many ways, this is Hackman's film. He fully deserved his Oscar nomination for Best Actor.Parker does not skimp on the violence, he shows you just how cruel the Ku Klax Klan can be in their use of terror. Churches are burnt down and people are beaten. Unlike the recent film Selma, the violence is not watered down. We also have a sub plot of Anderson getting close to one of the local women by played by future Oscar winner Frances McDormand. Her husband Brad Dourif's Deputy Pell may actually be part of the Ku Klux Klan. Look out for small parts from Tobin Bell, Frankie Faison,Michael Rooker and Park Overall.If I have one complaint about this film, it is that it does not have a proper black character. Most of the black actors portray victims of violence or passive bystanders.Great film from the 1980s that hardly gets shown on TV anymore.