Mississippi Burning

Mississippi Burning is an all-names-changed dramatization of the Ku Klux Klan's murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. Investigating the mysterious disappearances of the three activists are FBI agents Gene Hackman (older, wiser) and Willem Dafoe (younger, idealistic). A Southerner himself, ...more

This gripping drama about two FBI agents investigating the 1963 Mississippi murder of three Northern civil rights workers is great filmmaking. Rich with authentic period detail and incredibly tense, Mississippi Burning fairly smolders with rage and incipient violence. Featuring some terrific performances from Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, and Frances McDormand, its scenes of dialogue are often more exciting than its bloody, fiery showdowns. The film raised some controversy for its seeming ...more