Review of Mississippi Burning (1988) by Joe M — 20 Oct 2009

Whatâ??s wrong with these people? FBI officer Ward (Willem Defoe; Spider-Man) sullenly and subtly asks of the KKK while cradling the broken body of an African-American. This one single question â?? while quite simple in literal meaning â?? sums up the entire film. Racism. The KKK. The Nazis. Everyone like them. Whatâ??s wrong with these people? What kind of depraved, heartless maniacs would do such horrific things to fellow human beings over something as stupid as skin color?

MISSISSIPPI BURNING is one of the most revealing portraits into the time of our history where humanity was separated by color and color dictated life. It was a time of blatant injustice, incomprehensible fear, flaring hatred, and cold-blooded murder. This specific story revolves around the disappearances of two white black-rights activists and an African American, and to what lengths two brave FBI agents go to find the truth and bring those guilty to justice.

Although Gene Hackman and Willem Defoe are perfect foils as the two awesome FBI agents Anderson and Ward, it is Hackman who gives the most memorable performance of the film. Agent Anderson is something of a rogue. He hums to his own tune, which obviously pisses off Ward. But in the end, Anderson always picks the road that gets results. When his partner tries his by-the-book approach to both situations and people fail, Anderson steps in and gives an almost over-simplistic answer that always seems to work.

Anderson is also an enigma â?? which is why I like him so much. We never really know what to make of him, and that is what puts everyone else on edge. No one knows his game. His cocky little winks always catch us off guard, as if he always has all the cards.

My favorite scene that shows how little we know about him is when Anderson (Hackman) walks into a room full of KKK and seems to be way too casual. His Mississippi stories seem innocent and pointless, and seem to be a little stupid when being told to this bunch. But when one of the KKK gets a little too close to his face, his naive little facade goes down and we see some anger that, for the story, is long overdue. It is truly exhilarating to watch. It shows that Anderson is pleasant and charming when he wants to be, but only to his own ends. This is a credit to the acting of Hackman, which may be my favorite of his performances.

Defoe is a man of methodical planning. Hackman is a man of action. Together, they make an unstoppable team rivaling Batman and Robin.

I would highly recommend this movie. A++++!