Mississippi Burning has cultivated a well-deserved reputation as a powerful but nonetheless imperfect film. It is powerful not only because of the emotionally charged topic (civil rights and racism) but also due to some effective acting, strong characterisations and also a shudder of drama and tension throughout. However, it is imperfect because it is slightly overlong, somewhat historically inaccurate (the FBI's role in promoting civil rights was far more ambiguous than portrayed here) and even clichéd at times. Luckily, the film does neither abuses those clichés nor plays them entirely straight, allowing the film to retain its impact after many years. The film's power and tension is conveyed even during the very first scenes. The car chase is unnerving and the murders themselves are even moreso, with the merest splatter of blood hinting at the violence which occurred. Not a single moment is wasted on unnecessary blood and gore, which would otherwise have been unfitting for a historical drama like Mississippi Burning. Tension in the film is built even more effectively by intertwining the more sedate scenes with conflict and even outright violence. For example, Agent Anderson's quiet dialogues with the deputy sheriff's wife are punctuated by churches blowing up and arguments between Agent Anderson and Agent Ward. Speaking of Agent Anderson and Agent Ward, their characterisations are quite strong, in that the film provides a substantial backstory explaining their involvement and motivations (particularly Anderson) but also somewhat clichéd. This is because they both represent the perennial conflict between the renegade hero (Anderson) and the by- the-book, obstructive police chief (Ward). These roles are subverted though because Anderson sometimes does call Ward out for not properly following procedure, while unlike most police chiefs Ward knows exactly who the enemy is and does not resort to dramatics as readily as your average police chief type. The characterisations of the supporting cast are predictably less substantial. Much insight is provided into the wife's reasons for sticking with an obviously unpleasant husband, but the villains are broadly painted as hateful racists. The reason is likely to make it easier for the audience to oppose them and on that level such broad, simplistic characterisations work well. In addition, such characterisations do not necessarily prevent the actors from providing good performances. Brad Dourif does well representing your average bully; able to beat up on weaker people but impotent against a powerful adversary. Michael Rooker is even better; his Frank Bailey is comfortably the nastiest, most menacing character in the film, with none of the blustering of Stephen Tobolowsky's character. Tobolowsky's character is suitably provincial but was he really meant to be that blustering? R. Lee Ermey, Gailard Sartain and Pruitt Taylor Vince basically play good ol' Southern boys, with Ermey infusing a little Sergeant Hartman into his performance when he argues with Ward.On the other side of the coin, Willem Dafoe is cool, clinical and professional, while Frances McDormand plays the beleaguered housewife very well. However, it is really Gene Hackman who steals the show. Jocular one moment to physically violent the next, every scene with him is essential viewing because he raises the tension and drama. Badja Djola also warrants a mention, for his character veritably oozes hatred and menace. The dialogue is suitably provincial, with some rather zany lines ("cornhole ******?"). The plot plays much like a standard cop drama, with police being required to solve a mystery. Luckily, such a premise is exploited for maximum value, not only because of the tension and drama, but also because of the high stakes (freedom for a hitherto oppressed people). Ultimately, Mississippi Burning has its clichés and historical distortions, but ultimately the acting, characterisations, drama and tension make for a potent film and essential viewing. 4.5/5 stars

When three civil rights workers disappear FBI Agents Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) are tasked with investigating their disappearances. What starts out as a routine missing persons investigation quickly escalates into something much more serious especially when Ward (who isn't from Mississippi) starts to learn more about its townsfolk and about how those in charge choose to 'run' their town.I suppose it was kind of inevitable that a film like Mississippi Burning is going to be met with a rather mixed reception particularly as it apparently plays very 'loose' with the facts. In all fairness though anyone who watches a film and expects it to be 100% faithful or true to the story is somewhat naïve. What you get with Mississippi Burning is an interesting and fairly entertaining film which provides an insight into racial segregation in 1960's America - at least that's how I saw it!!!Although a lot of what we see may be fictional director Alan Parker works well with scriptwriter Chris Gerolmo in creating a powerful and somewhat terrifying look at the devastation that can be caused through bigotry and narrow-mindedness. Parker doesn't hold back and manages to stage some excellent scenes (the scene with Gene Hackman in the barber shop is particularly chilling as well as being memorable). The brutality continues throughout the film, which, admittedly, can make it hard to watch, but for me, this adds to the realism and Parker really engages with the viewer by drawing them into this appalling period of history.The strong performances compliment Parker's brutal direction well and the likes of Hackman and Dafoe are both good here (even though they are a rather clichéd pair of mismatched cops) Despite this though there's still an interesting and rather uneasy dynamic between the two men and the script occasionally affords them some amusing exchanges. The villains of the piece (Ermey, Dourif, Rooker, and Sartain) are excellent and all give rather sneering and cold-hearted performances.Aside from the cops and procedural elements being a tad clichéd one other aspect of this film that I found slightly problematic was the character of Mrs Pell (Frances McDormand). Her character is one of the few 'white' people who disagrees with segregation and is against how the Klu Klux Klan and the majority of white people treat the black people. This made her an interesting character who really should have had a more active role in the film. Instead of that, she is little more than window dressing and a bit on the side for Anderson (which is a tad frustrating and a waste of McDormand's acting talent). I personally felt that the film would have been slightly better if it had have at least given us some insight into what things were like on the other side of the fence.So yes there are some flaws with this film and rather ironically the narrative does suffer from being a bit 'black and white' However, it is a powerful drama that takes us back to an appalling time period, and although some of its brutality makes it hard to watch, I did find it to be a relatively engaging story.

The main question looming over the head of Alan Parker's Mississippi Burning is whether or not the film has a moral responsibility to tell its true-life tale of racial hatred and murder in Civil Rights Act- era Mississippi exactly how it happened, or if artistic license grants the creators of the film the right to tell an entertaining story that maintains a powerful message of social injustice and equal rights. I am of the opinion that any film can change events for the sake of a digestible narrative, as long as the facts aren't muddied for the sake of fitting a films own agenda. Like countless old World War II movies that softened the horrors of war or fabricated tales of heroism, a film isn't required to be a moving Wikipedia page as long as its heart is in the right place.Mississippi Burning opens with the brutal slaying of three Civil Rights activists - two white men and one black - by members of the Ku Klux Klan, in an event that would capture the attention of the entire nation back in 1964. Two federal agents are sent in to investigate, Agent Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman), a former Mississippi sheriff well accustomed to the attitudes of the small- town police forces in the state, and determined liberal Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe). Upon arrival, it doesn't take long for the agents to suspect widespread corruption within the police ranks and a possible cover-up. Anderson takes a hands-on approach of mingling with the locals and delivering thinly-veiled threats, while Ward respects rules and rank, bringing in over a hundred new agents to tackle the ever-increasing conspiracy.The idea to tell this story, which is one of the key events that led to the signing of the Civil Rights Act, through the eyes of two white men would be instantly scoffed at nowadays throughout social media, and perhaps rightly so. It is most importantly a story of the suffering of African-Americans, and of their bravery and spirit in taking a stand against it. Yet while Mississippi Burning takes a procedural, buddy- cop movie approach, it highlights how ultimately powerless the agents investigating the case are. Anyone familiar with the story will know that the men responsible for the murders were eventually brought to justice, but this is only one case in a country brimming with racial tension as social integration is introduced. It would take people such as the activists murdered in the film and the many Civil Rights demonstrations carried out in defiance that would ultimately lead to changes.At its best, the film is successful in making you feel extremely angry. As various African-Americans are lynched or attacked leaving a church by gangs carrying weapons, you, along with the bemused Agent Ward, question how such hate for another race can manifest itself within such a large portion of a community. With the FBI becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of co-operation from the residents of the town, the film somewhat indulgently gives us a scene of Anderson having an off-the-record word with suspected Klan members, particularly Deputy Pell (Brad Dourif) and hot-head redneck Frank (Michael Rooker). It's a punch-the-air moment of badassery, and one of many such scenes that allow the film to be entertaining as well as thought-provoking. It's far from perfect of course, with a shoe-horned romance between Anderson and Pell's suffering wife (Frances McDormand) in particular feeling wholly unnecessary, but this is a powerful and beautifully-made piece featuring one of Hackman's best performances.

"Hatred isn't something you're born with. It gets taught... At 7 years of age, you get told it enough times, you believe it. You believe the hatred. You live it... you breathe it. You marry it."Alan Parker's 1988 film which was nominated for seven Academy Awards is another reminder of what a great career Gene Hackman had, although this time he got to share the spotlight with a pair of other wonderful performances from Willem Dafoe and Frances McDormand. The fact that Mississippi Burning isn't even considered one of Hackman's top ten most popular films just proves how many great films he's made over the span of five decades (he retired from acting in 2004). Since the film was loosely based on a real incident surrounding the disappearance of some civil rights workers in the south during the 60's many people complained that the film wasn't faithful to the story, but Parker never made such a claim and always said his film was a fictional tale of events that could've taken place during the time so I don't see any need to complain about it. Some similarities can be found with the classic film directed by Norman Jewison, In the Heat of the Night, which handles a similar theme about racism. Films like this are important reminders of how dangerous humans can be when they let hate and racism govern their hearts. It is so easy at times to forget those dark moments in our history and act like they never happened, but once in a while we get films like Mississippi Burning that remind us of the horrors of humanity and the sacrifice people made to end them. These are films with important messages which also happen to be well made and count with a stellar cast. Its only Oscar win was for Peter Biziou's wonderful cinematography, but there is so much more worth recommending about this classic from the 80's. The film introduces us to three civil rights workers as they are detained by a police vehicle while they were about to exit a small Mississippi town. The officers begin making all sorts of hateful remarks towards these men and violently shoot them for trying to stir up their quiet and organized segregated town. A few days later, two FBI agents show up in town looking for these disappeared citizens, who they fear have been murdered. Agent Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) is in charge of the operation despite his young age. His partner, Agent Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman), is more experienced and is not afraid to speak his mind about him as someone he believes to be well educated but lacking more field work. Ward likes to do things by the books, but Anderson who was a former Sheriff in a similar Mississippi town knows the mentality of these places and believes his methods won't get them anywhere in a place like this. The Mayor (R. Lee Ermey) isn't pleased with the agents visit because he believes his segregation methods work and that things are run differently here than in the south. The agents learn it quickly while they're trying to collaborate with the local officers. Sheriff Ray Stuckey (Gaylord Sartain) is very protective of his boys, especially of Deputy Clinton (Brad Dourif) and officer Frank (Michael Rooker) who were the officers involved in the murder. It doesn't take the agents too long to realize what happened, but they can't find anyone in town who will speak to them since the victims have been threatened by the KKK. Every time someone seems to be interested in speaking up, they are immediately intimidated by the gang through violent acts. Ward's tactics don't seem to have an effect, but Anderson may have found the perfect ally in Mrs. Pell (Frances McDormand), the Deputy's wife who rejects his actions. The script handles the civil rights case with care and avoids falling into melodramatic territory by remaining gripping and suspenseful. There are plenty of thrills along the way and some violent scenes that are actually less horrifying than the hateful things these men say. It's true that the civil right theme is told through a white's man point of view, but I think it still remains compelling and well intentioned. In the end it becomes entirely a revenge action film, but it's handled in a convincing and realistic way. Hackman, Dafoe, and McDormand are in the center of the movie and they all deliver gripping performances playing off each other extremely well. Brad Dourif and Michael Rooker are given the stereotypical racist characters who are very easy to hate. Rooker seems to be playing the same character from The Walking Dead series only this time he actually acts upon his remarks more than simply being a loud mouth. Hackman and Dafoe are on the same side despite having very different approaches and that difference helps build the tension and relationships in the film. Parker's sensitive direction works in a film with such a controversial subject matter that could be easily manipulated. Mississippi Burning is a classic that shouldn't be missed by fans of Gene Hackman and his impressive career. http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/