Mississippi Burning
1988
****
Director: Alan Parker
Cast: Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand, Brad Dourif, R. Lee Ermey, Gailard Sartain, Stephen Tobolowsky, Michael Rooker, Pruitt Taylor Vince
In 1964, two FBI agents travel to the deeply racist Jessup County, Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of two Jewish and one black civil rights worker. Alan Parker's gripping and thought-provoking but occasionally monotonous drama is loosely based on real events. Gene Hackman gives a terrific performance as the charming and street-smart agent Anderson. Peter Biziou's stunning cinematography won an Academy Award.
