|
Mississippi Burning (1988) 7.8
Ratings:
7.8/10 from 44,467 users
Metascore: 65/100
Reviews: 150 user | 33 critic | 11 from Metacritic.com Two FBI agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists. Director:Alan ParkerWriter:Chris Gerolmo |
| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Mississippi Burning (1988)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
The Name of the Rose
(1986)
Drama
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Jean-Jacques Annaud
Stars:
Sean Connery,
Christian Slater,
Helmut Qualtinger
Se7en
(1995)
Crime
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
David Fincher
Stars:
Brad Pitt,
Morgan Freeman,
Gwyneth Paltrow
L.A. Confidential
(1997)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Curtis Hanson
Stars:
Kevin Spacey,
Russell Crowe,
Guy Pearce
Mystic River
(2003)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Clint Eastwood
Stars:
Sean Penn,
Tim Robbins,
Kevin Bacon
Primal Fear
(1996)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Gregory Hoblit
Stars:
Richard Gere,
Laura Linney,
John Mahoney
Eastern Promises
(2007)
Crime
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
David Cronenberg
Stars:
Josef Altin,
Naomi Watts,
Viggo Mortensen
A Few Good Men
(1992)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Rob Reiner
Stars:
Tom Cruise,
Jack Nicholson,
Demi Moore
Crime
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Niels Arden Oplev
Stars:
Michael Nyqvist,
Noomi Rapace,
Lena Endre
State of Play
(2009)
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Kevin Macdonald
Stars:
Russell Crowe,
Ben Affleck,
Rachel McAdams
Insomnia
(2002)
Crime
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Christopher Nolan
Stars:
Al Pacino,
Martin Donovan,
Hilary Swank
Chinatown
(1974)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Roman Polanski
Stars:
Jack Nicholson,
Faye Dunaway,
John Huston
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Gene Hackman | ... | ||
| Willem Dafoe | ... | ||
| Frances McDormand | ... |
Mrs. Pell
|
|
| Brad Dourif | ... | ||
| R. Lee Ermey | ... | ||
| Gailard Sartain | ... |
Sheriff Ray Stuckey
|
|
| Stephen Tobolowsky | ... | ||
| Michael Rooker | ... | ||
| Pruitt Taylor Vince | ... |
Lester Cowens
|
|
 |
Badja Djola | ... |
Agent Monk
|
| Kevin Dunn | ... |
Agent Bird
|
|
| Frankie Faison | ... |
Eulogist
|
|
|
|
Thomas B. Mason | ... |
Judge
(as Tom Mason)
|
| Geoffrey Nauffts | ... | ||
|
|
Rick Zieff | ... |
Passenger
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and white. The younger agent trained in FBI school runs up against the small town ways of his former Sheriff partner. Written by Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca>
Taglines:
1964. When America was at war with itself.Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
27 January 1989 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Three Lives for Mississippi See more »Box Office
Budget:
$15,000,000 (estimated)Gross:
$34,603,943 (USA)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby SRColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Driver: Uh, oh.
Passenger: What is it?
Passenger: [seeing the car behind them] What do they want?
Driver: I don't know... just pass me... pass me...
Driver: [trying to identify the following car] Is it a cop?
Passenger: I can't see.
[they are hit from behind]
Driver: What the fuck are these jokers playin' at?
Rear passenger: Oh, they ain't playin', you better believe it.
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The film was very controversial when it was released. Though fictional, the movie was clearly based on an actual case. Many people felt that too many facts from the real-life case were distorted or left out. See more »Goofs
In the first barber shop scene, agent Anderson (Gene Hackman) says he's from Thornton, Mississipi, "Just a spit" from Tennessee. Thornton MS is nearly 130 miles from Tennessee. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Driver: Uh, oh.
Passenger: What is it?
Passenger: [seeing the car behind them] What do they want?
Driver: I don't know... just pass me... pass me...
Driver: [trying to identify the following car] Is it a cop?
Passenger: I can't see.
[they are hit from behind]
Driver: What the fuck are these jokers playin' at?
Rear passenger: Oh, they ain't playin', you better believe it.
[...]
See more »
1964 - The year America was at war with itself! Thats a pretty good tag-line. The promotion for this film seemed to pitch it as a thriller or a buddy movie. It is neither. This is a very mature investigation of a racist Mississippi town where the brutal murder of three civil rights activists took place in 1964. The film is inspired by real-life events.
Dafoe and Hackman play the two FBI agents sent to investigate. Their differing styles of pursuing the case and Dafoe's belated admiration for Hackman's "method's" is an interesting layer of flesh added to the structure of the film.
You will see some really nasty racist characters played by familiar faces like Brad Dourif, Lee Ermey and an especially violent Michael Rooker. All are excellent. Frances McDormand really steals the movie as the wife of racist Dourif.
This film is far more intelligent than some of the Stanley Kramer movies of the 60's which dealt with racism. It does not shy away from showing the seriousness (and sickness) of the racial mindset without being excessively preachy. It is in fact very watchable - largely due to a colorful and humorous Hackman whose character was himself a Mississippi small-town Sheriff at one time and understands the pitfalls of the Hoover boys going in all guns blazing.
Highly recommended!