Mississippi Burning - 10 stars out of 10
All that I had to do was read the opening credits to know that this would be an incredibly well-acted film. "Mississippi Burning" is a powerful story from the 60's about the gross racial injustices occurring in the south as our country struggled to keep itself from being ripped apart by segregation and violence. Based on the real-life murders of three civil rights workers, the film has a high emotional impact from start to finish as it includes every bloody detail of racist violence. This may not be the right film for the faint of heart as it contains a man being hung, a child being kicked in the face and beaten while praying, and the n-word over and over again. I could feel my anger and frustration toward the bigots in this film building as they set fire to the lives of a group of people, all because of the shade of their skin. The darkness of this film becomes reality through the incredible cast of actors including Gene Hackman (who received an Oscar nomination), a very young Willem Dafoe, R. Lee Ermey, and an unrecognizably young Frances McDormand (who also received an Oscar nomination). This is one of those movies that remind me why I love critically acclaimed dramas, watching these characters become real as the movie progresses. In addition to these four, the sheriff played by Gailard Sartain (that guy from all of the Ernest movies) and his deputy (Brad Dourif) are so good that you will want to physically hurt them for their discrimination. An awesome script facilitates these great performances. By the end, you'll feel hostile to the southern racists, you'll get a pit in your stomach when you see the Ku Klux Klan hoods, you'll feel an even bigger pit when the castration is described, but you'll be most impressed by the way that everything wraps up in the end. This rough story is perfectly brought to life through superb acting and writing, and these images may just change your view of this dark section of southern history forever.
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