Mississippi Burning-We're On Forever Fire With this One ****

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2009)

Outstanding film dealing with the murder of 3 civil rights workers during the fiery civil rights struggle of the 1960s.
Gene Hackman is absolutely marvelous as a southern FBI agent attempting to track down the cowardly killers in this absolute thriller of a motion picture. He receives fine support from Willem Dafoe. The latter plays a northern FBI agent in conflict with Hackman as no matter what the FBI attempts to do, they are thwarted every step of the way by a bigoted, disgusting town and local law enforcement officers up to their necks in corruption and murder.
As the wife of a deputy sheriff, Frances McDormand is fabulous as an abused woman with a conscience.
The film is terrific as it shows how the bigots attempt to justify their ways as appropriate to their religion. They can cite phrases justifying the segregation system.
It was only after the FBI began to play hardball with this hoodlum element that something was able to be done.