Review of Mississippi Burning (1988) by Robert I — 04 Feb 2014
When three civil rights activists go missing in a small Mississippi town, FBI agents Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe arrive to investigate igniting a powder keg of racial tension. Alan Parker's grim indictment of institutional racism is one gut wrenchingly powerful scene after another.
Not only a gripping detective story, it also documents the appalling conditions African Americans had to endure in the not-so distant past. The pairing of college educated agent Dafoe who naively thought he could bluster into this insular community and instantly set the world to rights and Hackman's powerhouse performance as an ex-good ol' boy from the deep south himself works brilliantly; particularly the friction caused by Dafoe mistaking Hackman's laid back seen-it-all-before attitude for indifference.
Frances McDormand also puts in a performance of quiet dignity as one of the good people of the community forced to keep silent by fear of the deep-seated hatred that surrounds her. Horrifyingly, this story was based on actual events and is for me, one of the best thrillers ever made.
It's nice to think that with Obama in the Whitehouse, we are living in a different world. But as they say "You're in Mississippi now, boy. The rest of America don't mean shit.".
This review of Mississippi Burning (1988) was written by Robert I on 04 Feb 2014.
Mississippi Burning has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
