Feeling the Heat of Hatred
in Mississippi Burning
Rating: 3 and 1 Half Stars
See FFR's Four Star Rating Scheme
Racism rears its ugly head and strikes a southern community in director Alan Parker's searing 1988 crime drama.  While fictionalized for theatrical effect, the story (written by Chris Gerolmo) is based on the real-life murder of three voting rights activists in 1964. Following the disappearance of three young men in Jessup County, Mississippi, two FBI agents are dispensed to investigate.  One is a former small town sheriff who knows the shortest distance between two points isn't necessarily a straight line.  The other, a younger, higher ranking agent, is a by-the-numbers lawman who shoots from the hip.  Their investigation sparks controversy in the pressure cooker community, drawing hatred from the local authorities and mistrust from the frightened black populace.

Upon arrival, impatient Agent Ward (Willem Dafoe) directly confronts the bigoted town leaders, and concurrently tries to get the victimized minorities to cooperate.  The easy going Agent Anderson (Gene Hackman) works around the problem by gaining the trust of a suspected deputy’s pretty wife (Frances McDormand).  Combining both avenues of investigation, the team discovers the strong influence the local Ku Klux Klan chapter holds over the county's officials and community alike.  Eventually, they are forced to abandon Bureau procedure and adopt a more unorthodox means of discovering the truth of the deep-rooted and deadly conspiracy.

A moving and thoughtful film - fueled by a first-rate cast and crafted by a masterful crew - Burning received critical acclaim, garnered six Oscar nods, and subsequently won an Academy Award for Peter Biziou's cinematography.Though an admittedly Hollywood affair, it is nonetheless a powerful and provocative recreation of the interracial hatred that ruled the days preceding the civil rights struggles that closed the 1960's.  In reality, the federal government was much less likely to interfere with matters concerning hate crimes in the Deep South, considering it a losing battle in a less civilized section of the country.  In spite of history, echoes of such atrocities still resonate in today's advanced American culture. In that vein, the film is a potent reminder of our not-so-distant, incendiary past, and a wellspring of hope as our society continues its quest for true racial equality.
Walt is Senior Writer for www.featurefilmreview.com. Email comments to walter (at) featurefilmreview (dot) com.