Dafoe and Hackman are an excellent duo

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2007)

This movie deals with the question if it is okay to use non-ethical methods of working by cops to fight outrageous injustice. Its setting is an American village in which the black population is systematically being abused by white supremacists. A young FBI-agent from New York ( Willem Dafoe ) and his cynical partner ( Gene Hackman ) discover that the racism is broad amongst the population and that even authority figures are involved in it. Every time they find a way to deal with the problem, they stumble upon fear, and therefore unwillingness to cooperate , from the blacks. At a certain point the agents find themselves using pure intimidation and violence to fight back against the injustice.
I like it how the relationship between Dafoe and Hackman is slowly evolving throughout the story. At first there is some unwillingness to work together, but slowly they start to accept each other and their different methods of working. ''Good cop'' Dafoe is the honest one never straying from the law; Hackman is the bad cop who will use intimidation to get to the core of things. Both characters aren't necessarily heroes. They are flawed, emotional beings that stand seemingly powerless against something that is so much bigger than they realize at first. At a certain point both their methods of working mingle together in the sake of solving things.
It's also nice that Hackman's character becomes involved with the case when he's experiencing the brutality of the situation; from a clearly apathetic person he turns into someone who is bend on fighting the injustice.
I find this one of the best movies made about the recent '' Apartheid '' in American history. It is realistic, gritty and has no false sentimentality in it. It tells a brutal tale without creating heroes and villains.