A Movie Classic

Rating: 10/10 (11 June 2004)

I know that many historians have been critical of this film. They point to the fact that this was not a factual re-telling of the actual incident. Man, they don't get it. This was a movie. It was based on an actual incident, but in the end, it was a movie. As a movie, it portrays the South and the issue of racism better than any movie before it. Director Parker creates excellent characters that embody the different perspectives of those that were involved in the civil rights crisis. Whether it is the idealist FBI agent portrayed by DeFoe or the Southern FBI
realist so brilliantly portrayed by Hackman. This movie shows us why people
tried to change the South and why other people tried to preserve that South. The result is a violent and disturbing film, which both educates and entertains. OK, the FBI actually used huge cash payoffs to get Klan members to testify against others in the real case. No, the FBI did not have a black agent that helped them to crack the case. However, let us not forget, that's right, it was a movie.