Review of Mississippi Burning (1988) by Mike S — 23 Jul 2008
This movie arrived on South Africa's big screen a year late in 1989. As a white conscript I was in my first year of 2 years 'national (military) service' and was home on a weekend pass when I walked into the theater to watch this movie.
I was blown away by the subject matter and many of the characters as it reverberated with what South Africa was going through at that point in our own history. The sad universalness of racism and prejudice was a revelation to my 19-year old mind. The role that Christianity played (and still plays...) in Southern prejudice (in the U.S.), as it often did in South Africa, was also a painful eye opener to me.
The ethical struggle of a local deputies wife to face up to the racism interwoven into community and church was one 'highlight'. Another memorable moment is when Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman's characters find a badly beaten up black youth next to a forest road after chasing members of the KKK. Dafoe's simple question to Hackman was to me extremely poignant, especially in my own South African context of the time: "Where does all this hate come from?"...
The casting of the roles in this movie is perfect, the script very well written and the history behind it should never be forgotten.
This review of Mississippi Burning (1988) was written by Mike S on 23 Jul 2008.
Mississippi Burning has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
