Mississippi Burning

Willem Defoe and Gene Hackman fight against redneck dumbness and prejudices in one of the best films I’ve seen in the last few weeks. It really makes me mad to see a (not only film) character that’s an utter idiot and shows their idiocy ostentatiously and with pride! Every time those rotten guardians of the law said anything, my blood started to boil. I’m giving it five stars for arousing such intense emotions, but even without taking that into account, this is still a great thriller that deserves nothing but praise. (04/09/2011)

An undistorted, ultimately very realistic, and therefore rather unpleasant look at the segregationist politics of the American South in the 1960s. I don't appreciate Parker's "stark" realism, but the other levels of the story, where we can follow the professional and indeed moral transformation of Dafoe's character, and the brilliantly rendered atmosphere of a highly segregated and inaccessible community, for some time beyond the reach even of the federal agents themselves. The great soundtrack and acting performances need no further comment. (01/08/2012)

Mississippi Burning is not only a high-quality crime drama, but also a political film with a clearly defined opinion, and ultimately, an artistic portrayal of a real case that stirred public opinion in the United States when three activists against racial segregation were murdered. The film is one of Hollywood's most significant contributions to the pressing issue of racism. There are plenty of crime stories, but films with uncompromising political stances are far less common. It is not a typical genre film, but rather an appeal against the influence of the Ku Klux Klan and a critique of social conservatism and Southern values. The film clearly aimed to bring back and reignite strong themes that resonated in American society in the 1960s. From the performances of the involved major actors, I get the impression that Hackman, Dafoe, and McDormand didn't approach their roles as just a regular business transaction, but that they also injected their own convictions into their performances. Overall impression: 95%. (04/02/2016)

So this was an excellent two-hour film with high-principled Agent Ward and inventive Agent Anderson. As a duo, they would have been able to carry even a film with a weaker script. Even the story was well-written, and the movie didn't feel like it was thirty-five years old. It didn't even feel like it was about the events from the nearly sixty-year-old American South. The lessons to take from this film are still relevant. 4*+ (17/04/2023)

This was an unexpected surprise for me. I wasn't familiar with this film, but it's a very powerful drama about racism in America where you really realize how intense and vile the intolerance was, and maybe still is. The film has great acting performances, but above all, it is excellently filmed and handled in every aspect. An excellent experience! (01/03/2018)