Review of Mississippi Burning (1988) by Hugo S — 19 Nov 2009

MISSISSIPPI BURNING (1988).

Dir. Alan Parker.

Cast. Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Brad Dourif«It's ugly. This whole thing is so ugly. Have you any idea what it's like to live with all this? People look at us and only see bigots and racists. Hatred isn't something you're born with. It gets taught. At school, they said segregation what's said in the Bible... Genesis 9, Verse 27. At 7 years of age, you get told it enough times, you believe it. You believe the hatred. You live it... you breathe it. You marry it.»Mississippi, 1964. Three civil rights workers are gone missing. It doesnt take long for the FBI to invade the small Mississippian town to investigate the case, looking for the bodies and looking for the guilty. Hate grows increasingly on the members of the Ku Klux Klan side. They burn colored people's houses, threaten them if they talk to the FBI but two agents with opposite personalities havent said their last words yet.Loosely based on one of the most important murder investigation in history, Mississippi Burning is a shocking film with the ambition to open the eyes of the audience in front of deep America's intolerance for races.That type of film angers me a lot, I personally cant stand any type of racism and I cant really be objective when a movie like this comes along. I am personally fascinated and disgusted by all the hate, making this film a mandatory viewing for everyone.The main characters are kind of one dimensional. We have the young agent who will do everything in his power to resolve the case. Working with him is a veteran, easy-going character, who uses shady ways to make things happen. The performances though seem to give those characters more depth than what they have. Willem Dafoe is completely committed to his character and Gene Hackman does things in the right way. The better performances though, come from the supporting cast. Brad Dourif as a racist local deputy is creepy and Frances McDormand as his powerless wife is heartbreaking.Mississippi Burning is an important film because of its subject matter and denunciation of racism. Its predictable for sure and the script isnt particularly that strong, despite some good lines. Hard to watch but worthy.