Mississippi Burning (1988)

• Year: 1988
• Released: 27 Jan 1989
• Country: United States
• Adwords: Won 1 Oscar. 17 wins & 24 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095647/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mississippi_burning
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mississippi-burning
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Crime, Drama, History
• Runtime: 128 min
• Writer: Chris Gerolmo
• Director: Alan Parker
• Cast: Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand
• Keywords: murder, based on true story, based on a true story, police, suicide,

	7.8/10
	65/100
	84% – Critics
	90% – Audience

Mississippi Burning Storyline

After three Civil Rights workers, who were organizing a voter registry clinic, go missing in Mississippi’s Jessup County, the FBI deputes Agents Rupert Anderson and Alan Ward to investigate. After the duo encounter hostility at the hands of the county police and other males, more agents are brought in. This leads to a media frenzy, with Clayton Townley proclaiming openly that this community is an Anglo-Saxon democracy, an example of successful segregation that has been able to withstand the onslaught of integration, and total non-acceptance of Jews, Papists, Turks, Mongols, Orientals, Asians, and Negros. While differences crop up between investigative tactics of the two agents, the Ku Klux Klan, aided by the police, target the fearful African-Americans, brutally torturing them and setting their houses on fire. With the entire local community – both black and white – refusing to come forward with any information – the FBI must now consider using other methods to try and find out what really happened to the three workers.

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Mississippi Burning Movie Reviews

Hatred in the Deep South

Inspired by real events this film opens with the murder of three civil rights activists, two white one black, in Mississippi in 1964. When they are reported missing two very different FBI agents are sent to investigate. Rupert Anderson, is a former Mississippi sheriff who doesn’t always play by the rules and Alan Ward is a by-the-book high-flier but both are determined to bring those responsible to justice. They won’t get much help locally; the police are indifferent at best, complicit at worst and nobody is going to talk because they know what will happen if they are even suspected of talking to the FBI. Soon Ward calls in more personnel and tensions rise even further as local racists try to intimidate the black population. It soon becomes obvious that if the FBI are to get anywhere they will have to break a few rules.

Some may have problems by the fact that this is inspired by real murders but then gives a fictionalised investigation… that wasn’t a problem for me though. The story presented shines a light on sinister events and attitudes that are far from being ancient history. The overt racism portrayed is disturbing; it isn’t just the killers and Klansman who have such attitudes. While the identity of the killers isn’t in doubt just how they will be brought to justice is. Gene Hackman gives a great performance as Agent Rupert Anderson; Willem Dafoe is solid as Agent Alan Ward and Frances McDormand impresses as Mrs Pell, wife of a deputy involved in the case. The rest of the cast impress too; they make some very unpleasant characters believable. Overall I’d definitely say this is worth watching; it has an important message but also proves to be a gripping thriller.

Excellent movie, if very disturbing at times.

Mississippi Burning is a very good movie, with its focus of racism, a very sensitive subject, in the Civil Rights Movement cleverly handled. I will say, some scenes because the violence was very intense to the maximum, were rather upsetting to watch, like any scene when someone was attacked, the nature of the violence was very upsetting. The gunshot at the beginning was unbelievably loud, and made me jump quite violently. However, it is a very powerful and tense film, helped by a well-written script and an atmospheric music score. The dark brooding cinematography helped considerably to the film’s proceedings, and the performances were excellent, with Gene Hackman mesmerising in the lead, and Willem Dafoe perfectly matching him. The story is a powerful one, and rarely slips in tension. Overall, a very tense and powerful film, long and quite violent, but a very good film, all the same. 8/10 Bethany Cox

It helps to be wise in the ways and mores of Dixie

It’s now a well documented fact that FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was convinced that the Civil Rights movement was somehow being directed from Moscow as part of the Communist conspiracy. As if anyone’s struggle for equality needed outside direction. Hoover’s bugging of Martin Luther King is legendary both for its lack of useful information to prove that thesis and for the titillation that King’s indiscretions provided for certain people in power courtesy of J. Edgar.

But when the murders of those two outside civil rights workers from New York City Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman happened the nation was shocked. First it was a missing persons case, then a homicide when the bodies were discovered. Public opinion forced the FBI and its director to take this seriously. And I have to say that when they did, the job was done.

The names of the civil rights workers were not mentioned nor was the name of the young black kid who here was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. In real life James Morton was a voter registrar working with Goodman and Schwerner. That gave some dramatic license to the producers of Mississippi Burning to spin their own version of events. Given the redneck wall of silence that federal investigators had to deal with I’m not sure the spinning was too far from the truth.

Willem Dafoe’s portrayal of a button down FBI agent of the Hoover era rings real true. Hoover’s own standards regarding appearance and behavior of his agents somewhat hampered law enforcement in certain fields. He had other foibles that have come down to us since his death in 1972, some real, some speculative. Dafoe just isn’t getting the job done.

Which brings us to Gene Hackman who is a former Mississippi sheriff and wise in the ways and mores of Dixie. When Dafoe gives him a free hand Hackman gets results even though like in real life these Ku Klux Klansmen could only be tried in federal court as no Mississippi state jury would have convicted these creatures. Hackman got a well deserved Oscar nomination for his performance. And it’s a good thing that the ACLU wasn’t looking to hard at Hackman’s methods. It was like what Sean Connery taught Kevin Costner about bringing down Al Capone in The Untouchables. It probably did take the FBI bending Hoover’s precious rules to get justice in real life.

Frances McDormand plays a truly sad role as the wife of one of the sheriff’s deputies who was in on the killing. She’s a caring and compassionate woman and indiscreet about her husband’s activities. She pays for that. It is restrained, understated, but very powerful performance that netted her a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Mississippi Burning won for Best Cinematography and got a number of other nominations including Best Picture. Sad to say it was up against Rain Man that year and I’d hate to split the difference between what Hackman and what Dustin Hoffman did in his classic.

It’s ironic that I saw this film and between seeing it and writing about it I attended one of many marriage equality rallies throughout the nation as the Supreme Court hears arguments about same sex marriage. The same people who could not comprehend the mixing of races are in the forefront of a fight against marriage equality because their minds can’t comprehend that either. A seismic cultural shift against racial segregation took place just as a seismic cultural shift is occurring now toward the acceptance of the LGBT lives and lifestyles. It’s been a privilege to live in these interesting times.

Mississippi Burning with a bit of literary license remains a fine dramatic film and should be required viewing for those who want to study those times and get an idea what the civil rights struggle was about. Books will not give you as good an idea as Mississippi Burning will.