In 1964, when three civil-rights workers, two white and one black, mysteriously disappear while driving through Mississippi, two FBI agents, Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Anderson (Gene Hackman), are sent in to investigate. While Ward is young and by the book, Anderson is a seasoned southerner comfortable with the Byzantine (and, to .. Read more
| Starring | Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Brad Dourif, Frances McDormand |
|---|---|
| Director | Alan Parker |
| Genres | Drama |
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In 1964, when three civil-rights workers, two white and one black, mysteriously disappear while driving through Mississippi, two FBI agents, Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Anderson (Gene Hackman), are sent in to investigate. While Ward is young and by the book, Anderson is a seasoned southerner comfortable with the Byzantine (and, to Ward, morally ambiguous) ways of his region. Together they sift through a variety of leads and come up empty-handed--until the town sheriff's wife (Frances McDormand) steps forward and reveals some surprising information. In order to solve the case, the two contrasting agents must not only overcome the hostility of the local authorities and the black community but contend with their own differences as well.
A fictionalized account of one of the landmarks in the civil-rights movement, MISSISSIPPI BURNING is a swift and powerful film. Director Alan Parker, continuing his investigation of human cruelty (begun explosively in his harrowing 1978 film MIDNIGHT EXPRESS), crafts a historically poignant film that fingers the monstrosities of a virulent strain of racial intolerance in America. Dafoe and Hackman are convincing as they investigate the disappearance of the civil-rights workers and unravel the grisly web of obfuscation around a scandalous, cancerous truth very near the heart of a nation.
| Starring | Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Brad Dourif, Frances McDormand, Gailard Sartain, R. Lee Ermey, Michael Rooker, Stephen Tobolowsky, Badja Djola, Pruitt Taylor Vince |
|---|---|
| Director | Alan Parker |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 1 min |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Dubbed | French, German, Spanish |
| Hearing-impaired | English, German |
| Subtitles | Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 17 Sep 2001 Production year: 1988 |
| Format | DVD |
In this powerful drama from director Alan Parker, Gene Hackman gives a mesmerising performance as a Southern States FBI agent fighting racism with local knowledge and canny psychology. Willem Dafoe is equally impressive, if more restrained, as his rule-obsessed Ivy League partner. Parker's wonderful creation crackles with dramatic tension and simmering violence that often reaches boiling point. Loosely based on a true story and shot with great visual flair (Peter Biziou won the Oscar for best cinematography), this is a gripping evocation of the early days of the civil rights movement.
Melodramatic and sensational account of racism in action that caused controversy on its release because of its concentration on white activists; but it has a power that sweeps its audience along with it.
Alan Parker's disturbing depiction of America's deep south is perhaps his finest acheivement to date. Gene Hackman's menacing though powerful portrayal of Agent Rupert Anderson is most certainly his!
Well worth watching, racisum is not the best film topic, but this film really does show the deep hatred that was in the deep south at the time. A must see film.