Awesome

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2002)

I can't believe this film isn't in the Top 250 of all time. Apart from being brilliant, it's exactly the sort of powerful, full metal jacket type film that people love.
As great as it was there were some sickening scenes. I lost count of the amount of times I thought to myself either 'thank god we don't live in a world like this anymore' or 'we're fortunate if the racists were based on real characters, that they'd probably be dead by now, or if not then not too far off it'.
Every aspect of the segregation & bigotry was pathetic. I'm ashamed that this was as recent as one generation ago. I know racists are still in this world, but I can only see watching this film as being positive as having a positive bearing on the issue. It asks the question everyone has pondered on. Where does the hatred come from?
Children will play and talk to anyone. Black, white, chinese, Jews, anyone. Unless they're manipulated, generally by adults (parents) or some form of media.
The best thing with this film is that the public of Mississippi were shown to be absolute morons. The scene where the reporters questioned them, to which their replies were "well they're different to us & don't wash" or anything that came out of the judges' gob, was so laughable, it wasn't worth taking seriously. So I can't see how anyone can question that the non FBI whites came out positively in this film.
Great acting too from Dafoe, Hackman & McDormand.
One previous commenter here, claimed that if you enjoyed this film you're a closet racist & as bad as the people in the film & the ones that made it. That's exactly the sort of imbecillic extremist comment & reason why the problem of racism will probably never be completely eradicated in our lifetimes.
Fair enough, the FBI may have been seen as the heroes & problem solvers and not the black townfolk. I don't know US / Mississippi history well enough to comment on how accurate or factual that is, but I would guess that the truth was bent considerably and the negroes did far more for racial problems than this film suggests, but to label people racist for enjoying this film, is ignorant & childish.
So people who enjoy films about drugs are all crack addicts eh? People who enjoy a film about drink driving or joyriding are as bad as them in the story? No. Hopefully they'd never consider doing any of the above after watching it & they'd have the brains to form their own opinions. OK, there'll always be one or two of the braindead who'd slip through the net, but most people would be ok.
Just because you enjoy a film doesn't mean you're sitting there nodding your head in agreement & chuckling away throughout as if it's Airplane. There were scenes in this you could barely watch & made you ashamed & embarassed, but it kept your attention for over 2 hours, and that's what all great films do.
9/10