When the accusation is made, it is the perfect excuse for the whites of Sumner, who have long resented the relative success of their black neighbors in Rosewood. Grabbing their shotguns, their nooses, their hounds and their torches, they form a mob and march on the innocent black families. John Wright, thoughtfully played by Jon Voight, is a shopkeeper and the only white man in Rosewood. He tries vainly to defuse the volatile situation, although he is also wary of the reactions he is causing among neighboring whites of Sumner. Ultimately, though, Wright and Mann form a wary alliance, in a valiant effort to save many of Rosewood's women and children.
Rosewood is a disturbing portrait of mindless hatred and violence.
Indeed, Singleton employs considerable artistry and passion to present an unsettling but important chapter in America's painful history of bigotry. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.