Amazon.com: Under the slick, professional direction of Alan Parker, Mississippi Burning is the kind of film that will either draw you into its emotionally volatile sphere of influence or outrage you with its repugnant, manipulative revision of American civil rights history. The fact-based story brings two highly different FBI agents (Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe) to Mississippi to investigate the murders of three young black men who had been promoting black voter registration. The key to solving the murders is the testimony of a local deputy's wife (Frances McDormand) who is struggling to break free of her husband's racist influence. As critic Pauline Kael argued, "...the movie hinges on the ploy that the FBI men can't stop the Ku Klux Klan from its terrorism against blacks until they swing over to vigilante tactics. And we're put in the position of applauding the FBI's dirtiest forms of intimidation. This cheap gimmick undercuts the whole civil rights subject; it validates the terrorist methods of the Klan." Or you can take the view of Roger Ebert, who named Mississippi Burning "the best film of 1988"; it would earn seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Actor (Hackman), Supporting Actress (McDormand), and Director. Which reaction is most appropriate? Both are, depending on your particular point of view. At the very least the performances are dynamic, but there's more to this provocative film than fine acting. We suggest you check it out and form your own opinion. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - A poignant film highlighting our rights to justice...
My best friend and I had a discussion about Gene Hackman the other day, since both of us are huge fans. We were recounting some of our favorite Hackman performances (`Unforgiven', `Hoosiers') and I was suggesting to him Hackman films he needed to see (`The Royal Tenenbaums') and he was suggesting ones I needed to see (`Crimson Tide') and then we came to the subject of `Mississippi Burning' and realized that neither of us had seen it. So, I told him I was coming over and on my way I rented this film and we had a few beers and watched one of the best Hackman films either of us had ever seen. ... Read More
Rating: - So who do you hate?
This is a story of hate, deception, violence, intimadation, trickery, and brutality. First of all by the KKK, and then by the agents of the FBI who stoop to the level of their adversaries to win their case. So do two wrongs make a right? According to this movie they do. We can only hope that this is not an accurate accouting of what actually occurred. Is this fact or fiction? We may never know for sure.
Rating: - Mississippi Burning
It is my understanding there were folks in Mississippi who resented this film, saying it unfairly portrayed their state. History knows better. Blacks in that state as in other southern states endured murder, lynching,and having their homes and churches bombed or burned. The KKK was made up of "respectable citizens" who lived one way during the day and donned their hoods at night. There is a book COMING OF AGE IN MISSISSIPPI that was written by a young black girl who grew up there. She tells about the murder of her father who was walking home after working all day. He was shotgunned to death. No ... Read More
Rating: - 1960
Awesome plot, vulgar language may be excessive, not recommended for young viewers. Strong adult content.
Rating: - Another Hackman Classic
Gene Hackman is probably the most underrated actor in Hollywood. To every role he brings passion, humanity and believability. I can't imagine any other actor playing the role of "Mr. Anderson" (I can hear Willem Dafoe saying it) as effectively as he does.
As noted, the film is based on an actual event, the murders of Mickey Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Cheney, young civil rights activists trying to register blacks to vote. From what I know about the South in those days, it is a pretty accurate depiction. The hatred, the refusal to change (integrate), the two separate societies ... Read More
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