IMDb > Jasper, Texas (2003) (TV)

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Jasper, Texas (2003) -- US Home Video Trailer from Showtime Networks Inc.
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Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   256 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Jeffrey W. Byrd
Writer (WGA):
Jonathan Estrin (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Jasper, Texas on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 June 2003 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
In 1998, three white men in the small town of Jasper, Texas, chained a black man to the back of their pickup truck and dragged him to his death... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
3 nominations more
User Comments:
Sociology 101 more (11 total)

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Roy T. Anderson ... James Byrd, Jr.

Demore Barnes ... Ricky Horn
John Bayliss ... City Manager
James Bearden ... Old Sour Man (as Jim Bearden)
Samantha Bee ... Kathy
Addison Bell ... Judge
Conrad Bergschneider ... Moe Johnson
Matt Birman ... Beating Cop

Kedar Brown ... Reverend (as Kedar)

Sandra Caldwell ... Norva

Marium Carvell ... Gloria Mays
Eugene Clark ... Don Clark
Michael Copeman ... Council Member #2
Neil Crone ... Principal
Travis Kyle Davis ... Black Young Man

Aaryn Doyle ... Small Black Girl

Martin Doyle ... Mr. Powell

Cherion Drakes ... Claire Byrd
David Eisner ... Mike Bradford
Craig Eldridge ... Dr. Brown
Michael Ferguson ... William Hoover

Louis Gossett Jr. ... R.C. Horn

Charles W. Gray ... Black Citizen
Kevin Hanchard ... Thurman Byrd
Kate Hennig ... White Mother
J.J. Hewitt ... Young Black Man

Gary Hudson ... Sonny Cribbs
Ray Kahnert ... State Police Captain

Bill Lake ... Council Member #1
Holly Lewis ... Michelle Chapman
Blu Mankuma ... James Byrd Sr.
Christopher Marren ... Klan Leader (as Chris Marren)
Andre Mayers ... Sergeant Carter

Dean McKenzie ... Mr. Nelson (as Dean Monroe McKenzie)

Michael McLachlan ... Bill King
Michael Millar ... Charlie Nicholson
James Millington ... Catholic Priest (as Jim Millington)
Richard Mills ... Jury Foreman
Michelle Moffat ... Mamie Horn
Joe Morton ... Walter Diggles
Dave Nichols ... Reporter #1
J.D. Nicholsen ... Mike Lout

Deborah Odell ... Woman Reporter

Rahnuma Panthaky ... Reporter #2
Ron Payne ... Old Sour Man
Eric Peterson ... Old Mr. King
Toby Proctor ... Sean Berry

Leah Renee ... Brandi Eggleson (as Leah Cudmore)
Karen Robinson ... Mary Horn
Phillip Shepherd ... Uniform
Victoria Snow ... Nancy Nicholson
Jeff Topping ... Russell Brewer
Kate Trotter ... Jamie Rowles

Jon Voight ... Billy Rowles
Ned Vukovic ... Mike Bradford
Wayne Ward ... Deputy
Ron White ... Guy James Gray
Bokeem Woodbine ... Khalid X
Emily Yancy ... Stella Byrd
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for strong violence/disturbing images and language.
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
114 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Certification:
Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R
Filming Locations:
Ontario, Canada
Company:
Showtime Networks more

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Errors in geography: Though set in Jasper, Texas, pharmacy window contains advertisements for "Canada's #1 Weight Loss System." more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
Sociology 101, 6 July 2005
4/10
Author: Lechuguilla from Dallas, Texas

In 1998 three young White men killed James Byrd, Jr., a Black man, by chaining Byrd to the back of their pickup truck, and then driving away at high speed down a back road in rural deep East Texas. It was a horrible crime, one that was quickly and easily solved. This film tells the story of that real-life event ... sort of.

The best part of "Jasper, Texas" is the performance of Jon Voight, as sheriff Billy Rowles, who investigated the crime. The film also presents a credibly downbeat atmosphere of rural eastern Texas.

That said, I was disappointed with the screenplay. The story begins on the day after the killing and, except for occasional flashbacks, moves forward, to chronicle the aftermath of the event, from the viewpoint of the town's residents. What was a terrible personal tragedy is turned into a speech-athon on race relations from: local politicians, the FBI, a citizen's task force, the Black Panthers, a White supremacy group, and others. The film's cast is way too large, and the dialogue is inflated. And throughout this talky film, there's the usual obnoxious behavior of the vulturous news media.

We never really get to know James Byrd, Jr., ... the victim. He is almost irrelevant. Nor do we get any insight into the motivations of the three killers. The film thus mostly ignores the most relevant people, and chooses instead to tell the story of background people who talk endlessly around a sociology topic that has been talked to death. The entire film seemed academic, impersonal, and emotionally uninvolved.

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