Yeah, Where Does Hated Come From?

Rating: 10/10 (26 October 2001)

"1964. When America was at war with itself."
What a tagline. It signifies perfectly what was going on in the south during the 1960's.
The story to Mississippi Burning is simple. Three civil rights workers are killed. An investigation is launched to find the culprits. Two FBI agents(Gene Hackman in an Oscar-nominated role and Willem Dafoe) are put on the case. They encounter the hatred and violence that was associated with the investigation which included the usual burning crosses, lynchings, and Klan rallies.
I enjoyed this movie very much and just so you know, an African-American is writing this review. I'm not going to go get all preachy now, but I will say this, racism SUCKS! In my opinion, some people just can't grasp the concept that people will always be different and that's why some people feel more superior over another race. It's just sickening to know that this stuff still goes on in America today, in 2001.
The acting here is great. Gene Hackman is great as usual, and so is Willem Dafoe. Frances McDormand is good too in an Oscar-nominated supporting role. I think two of the most over-looked performances ,however, come from Brad Dourif as Deputy Pell(who by the way is secretly a Klansman) and Michael Rooker who plays Frank Bailey, another Klansman. Rooker's Bailey is definitely the nastiest, racist person ever brought to screen. The scene where a group of Klansmen burn down a Black church is just terrifying. When I saw him kick that young boy in the face, I saw just how hateful Bailey really is. I felt like screaming to that boy to fight back even if it did mean certain death for him.
Like the author of the review "Where Does Hatred Come From?", I think that the rally scene in the park was a very haunting scene especially with the little 3-year old kids smiling and cheering along with there parents.

Lastly, I would just like to say that this movie reminds me a lot of Norman Jewison's film "In The Heat Of The Night" because both films have similar issues regarding racism in America.
Mississippi Burning is a great film that shouldn't be missed.
10/10