Mississippi Burning (1988)

Directed by

Alan Parker

Genre

drama film, crime film

Country

United States

Runtime

2h 07m

Rated

R

Rating

7.7 of 10 from 1,967 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Two FBI agents arrive in a small Mississippi town to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights activists. They face violent resistance from the local police and the Ku Klux Klan as they try to uncover the truth.

tensesombergrittysuspensefulbleakslow-burnheavydisturbing

What happens

Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by Chris Gerolmo that is loosely based on the 1964 investigation into the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in Neshoba County, Mississippi. It stars Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe as two FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights activists in fictional Jessup County, Mississippi, who are met with hostility by the town's residents, local police, and the Ku Klux Klan. Gerolmo began writing the script in 1986 after researching the 1964 murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. He and producer Frederick Zollo presented it to Orion Pictures, and the studio hired Parker to direct. The writer and director had disputes over the script, and Orion allowed Parker to make uncredited rewrites. The film was shot in locations in Mississippi and Alabama, with principal photography from March to May 1988. On release, Mississippi Burning was criticized by activists involved in the civil rights movement and the families of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner for its fictionalization of events. Critical reaction was generally positive, with praise for the cinematography and the performances of Hackman, Dafoe, and Frances McDormand. The film grossed $34.6 million in North America against a production budget of $15 million. It received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won for Best Cinematography. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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