A Gripping, Tense Story!

Rating: 9/10 (20 June 2014)

Mississippi Burning takes place during a harrowing time for the United States and more specifically, the black people. In 1964, America was in the midst of the civil rights movement and in the South, racism was prevalent and tensions between both the whites and blacks were through the roof. This film does an excellent job on telling a story that depicts this and as a result, we get a film that's moving, touching, and even courageous.
Alan Parker's film is about how two radically different FBI agents team together to solve the case of the three missing civil rights workers whom the authorities believe the Ku Klux Klan have a part in the disappearance.
The acting is excellent thanks to the lead performances by Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe. Hackman, good as always, delivers an excellent "deceptively calm" performance. On the other hand, Dafoe plays by the book and does a great job. Frances McDormand delivers a powerhouse as well as she is the clue to exactly what happened to these three men.
Overall, Mississippi Burning is an excellent, but very moving film as it tells a harrowing story. The white Southerners are depicted as evil in the film, but in reality they may have well been evil. They refused the blacks their natural rights and as a result, these sort of things happened. This is a great thriller and it's one that should keep you on your toes. I rate this film 9/10.