Mississippi Burning (1989)

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.

Not just one of his best movies; one of his best performances!

`Mississippi Burning' (inspired by a true story) tells the tragic tale three young rights activists who were murdered in a small Mississippi town. Two white boys and one black, the local police department sweeps it under the rug, but when word that the boys are missing reaches the FBI two agents are sent to the town to investigate. Rupert Anderson is an ex-Mississippi sheriff himself and so he has a better idea of how to deal with the locals than his partner, the young and `by-the-book' agent Alan Ward. Alan is asking all the wrong questions at the wrong time to the wrong people and is stirring up more problems than he should; but Rupert is slinking around in the background, building trust with valuable witnesses who may in the end be able to help him tie up the loose ends.

The film is brilliantly crafted, building tension in all the right places and balancing out the violence with a brutal message of injustice and tolerance. There are so many technical aspects of this film that really grabbed me, like the use of gospel hymns during some of the more savage scenes; creating a mood, an air of melancholy as apposed to brutality. It is small touches like that that bring the film to another level, eliciting in the audience the desired emotional response. Sure, we are angered by what it taking place, but our anger is more repressed and tempered. We wind up more saddened and disappointed which, in my opinion, carries the weight of the film farther than just steeping our reaction in pure hatred.

Like Alan Ward brings to light towards the films closing; we are all guilty if we allow atrocities like this to happen; if we say nothing when we know we have the obligation to stand up for what we know is right.

The film is strengthened also by the marvelous performances that litter the screen, most notably by the two Oscar nominees; Gene Hackman and Frances McDormand. Frances is not on the screen for a very long time, but her control over her character is dominant. You can really feel her emotional connection to Mrs. Pell, her struggle to find steady ground as she tries to decide where her loyalties need to be staked. Gene Hackman is seriously at the top of his game here, delivering what may be his finest performance ever. I love the transformation his character makes, and this is seen in one particular scene where he joins a few suspects for a beer.

"Thanks for the beer."

The rest of the cast is equally impressive, from Willem Dafoe's stubborn take on Ward to Brad Dourif's devilishly squirmy Clinton Pell. R. Lee Ermey is magnificent as the corrupt Mayor and supporting players like Sartain, Rooker and especially Tobolowsky clutter the film with brilliance.

The film is an acting goldmine.

In the end I highly recommend this brilliant film. There is such a dark yet poignant message here that to me is universal. This is one of those films that, while broaching one particular subject, really opens itself up to a universally important message. The film is not merely a film about racism but a film about injustice and the obligation each living breathing human has to right wrongs, no matter how inconvenient that may be. This film is one that we do well to take to heart. October 20, 2008

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. July 31, 2008

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 investigation was done, and no arrests were made. This move is one of the most powerful commentaries the deal with the terror and injustice that went on for decades. The three civil rights workers were murdered and "disappeared" on my 22nd birthday. That was a very turbulent time in our history. July 8, 2008

1960

Awesome plot, vulgar language may be excessive, not recommended for young viewers. Strong adult content. June 6, 2008

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 was all there. Little Rock, Univ. of Alabama, Central High School, these horrors could be watched on TV. The Southern racists in the movie are so beneath contempt that they risk becoming straw men, a possible weaknesses.

Certainly Mr. Anderson was right that the malefactors could never be charged with murder in a state court and be found guilty (unless somehow they obtained a change of venue, an unlikely event). Do the ends justify the means? When the FBI agents try to find the murderers the old-fashioned way, they meet solid walls of opposition: blacks afraid of retribution if they tell what they know, and whites who button up to protect themselves. So the DaFoe character finally takes Mr. Anderson's advice to "do whatever it takes" to put the murderers behind bars. Is Pauline Kael correct to dismiss this as "vigilantism"? Well, it is a legitimate objection (the DaFoe character reminds Mr. Anderson that the coerced confession he just obtained from the town's mayor violated his civil rights and will be inadmissible in court! Hot damn!). Mr. Anderson observes "These people crawled out of the gutter! Maybe it's time we got in there with them!" Well, they have more tricks up their sleeves, and obtain other evidence against them.

It is a wonderful script, with taut, exciting dialogue, and the conflict between Hackman and DaFoe is the stuff of powerful drama. This is a gut-wrenching film, not for the timid, with wonderful performances by all involved. I never tire of watching it. March 2, 2008

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