A Few Remarks

Rating: Null/10 (10 November 2014)

Gripping account of 1964 murder of three civil rights workers. In retrospect, it's ironic how the executions and burials backfired on the segregationists. The missing workers got a lot of publicity, extending over months, not just days, thereby focusing national attention on the segregationist South. Had the bodies been discovered sooner, I expect the impact would have been less. How ironic for the KKK.
Hackman's sly ex-sheriff turned FBI man dominates the film. Charming one minute, resolute the next, he's a good foil for DaFoe's by-the-book chief investigator. I'm in no position to evaluate the movie's details, but the dramatic values more than compensate for a lengthy run-time. I'm so glad the producers used a plain Frances McDormand in the feminine lead rather than some glamor-puss. Plus, she really delivers in a poignant role. Filming on location also provides real color and authenticity to impoverished conditions. Can't help noticing, in passing, that Blacks don't smile when they see adversity strike the KKK. After decades of oppression, that seems odd. I wonder if that was an authentic response or the movie makers' idea.
My only reservation is with the brief interviews. How did the interviewees decide what to say since all appear to young to have been mature in 1964. Oh well, that's a minor point in what amounts to a splendidly produced historical drama that should not be passed up.