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IMDbPro

Mississippi Burning

  • 19881988
  • RR
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
99K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,134
324
Mississippi Burning (1988)
Home Video Trailer from Orion Pictures
Play trailer1:34
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • History
Two F.B.I. Agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists.Two F.B.I. Agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists.Two F.B.I. Agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
99K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,134
324
  • Director
    • Alan Parker
  • Writer
    • Chris Gerolmo
  • Stars
    • Gene Hackman
    • Willem Dafoe
    • Frances McDormand
Top credits
  • Director
    • Alan Parker
  • Writer
    • Chris Gerolmo
  • Stars
    • Gene Hackman
    • Willem Dafoe
    • Frances McDormand
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 231User reviews
    • 78Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 17 wins & 24 nominations total

    Videos3

    Mississippi Burning
    Trailer 1:34
    Mississippi Burning
    Mississippi Burning
    Trailer 1:34
    Mississippi Burning
    Which Roles Did Samuel L. Jackson Turn Down?
    Video 2:31
    Which Roles Did Samuel L. Jackson Turn Down?

    Photos103

    Willem Dafoe, Darius McCrary, and Lou Walker in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning (1988)
    Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning (1988)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gene Hackman
    Gene Hackman
    • Andersonas Anderson
    Willem Dafoe
    Willem Dafoe
    • Wardas Ward
    Frances McDormand
    Frances McDormand
    • Mrs. Pellas Mrs. Pell
    Brad Dourif
    Brad Dourif
    • Deputy Clinton Pellas Deputy Clinton Pell
    R. Lee Ermey
    R. Lee Ermey
    • Mayor Tilmanas Mayor Tilman
    Gailard Sartain
    Gailard Sartain
    • Sheriff Ray Stuckeyas Sheriff Ray Stuckey
    Stephen Tobolowsky
    Stephen Tobolowsky
    • Clayton Townleyas Clayton Townley
    Michael Rooker
    Michael Rooker
    • Frank Baileyas Frank Bailey
    Pruitt Taylor Vince
    Pruitt Taylor Vince
    • Lester Cowensas Lester Cowens
    Badja Djola
    Badja Djola
    • Agent Monkas Agent Monk
    Kevin Dunn
    Kevin Dunn
    • Agent Birdas Agent Bird
    Frankie Faison
    Frankie Faison
    • Eulogistas Eulogist
    Thomas B. Mason
    • Judgeas Judge
    • (as Tom Mason)
    Geoffrey Nauffts
    Geoffrey Nauffts
    • Goateeas Goatee
    Rick Zieff
    Rick Zieff
    • Passengeras Passenger
    Christopher White
    • Black Passengeras Black Passenger
    Gladys Greer
    • Hattieas Hattie
    Jake Gipson
    • Moseas Mose
    • Director
      • Alan Parker
    • Writer
      • Chris Gerolmo
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film is inspired by the murder of voting rights activists James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman by the Ku Klux Klan.
    • Goofs
      When Anderson throws Pell into the chairs at the barbershop, Pell's stunt double has a different hairstyle (balding, with a comb-over).
    • Quotes

      Anderson: You know, if I were a Negro, I'd probably think the same way they do.

      Ward: If you were a Negro, nobody would give a damn what you thought.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Naked Gun/Dakota/Mississippi Burning/Vincent (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Take My Hand Precious Lord
      Words and Music by Thomas A. Dorsey

      Performed by Mahalia Jackson

      Courtesy of CBS Records

    User reviews231

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Where does hatred come from?
    Where? Where does racism come from? How can one race feel superior to another? Are we born with it? No. Do we become it on our own? Maybe? Or is it perhaps that we are taught it? There is a small scene in Mississippi Burning that is just as powerful as any Gene Hackman speech or any violent montage to gospel music that is in this film. There is a rally at a park with the head of the KKK ( without his hood ) telling thousands of people that have gathered that he loves being white. He loves the fact that Mississippi is segregated. And in the crowd the camera pans across and shows three year old kids smiling and cheering as gleefully and loudly as their parent's are. It is haunting.

    This film is bit like JFK in a way. It is not an absolute recreation of the events that took place in 1964, but it is a film that tells a true story and then adds a bit of fiction to make it more interesting for a mass audience. For example, the case was not cracked by Mr. Anderson fooling around with Pell's wife. But that is besides the point, the point being that this film is mesmerizing. Everything from its direction, cinematography, acting, writing and music, it is the best film of 1988. And having Rain Man take most of the major awards is really quite sad. Because Mississippi Burning is much more ambitious, important and well done. Rain Man is a very good film and I will even go as far as to say that Hoffman is the only one that deserved to win best actor just as much as Hackman did. But 1988 was a bad year for the rest of the Oscars. Anyway...

    I have been edgy before. Boyz and the Hood did that to me, but this film makes me angry. It makes me want to jump back into 1964 and try to do something to stop this. The film is that strong at showing us how terrible and pointless racism is. And in order to make this film work, there has to be strong elements in all areas. But for me, what really made me feel the things that I did is the actors that played their roles.

    Hackman is brilliant. He gives the performance of a lifetime and it is his anger that gives him his edge. He sees things differently than Mr. Ward does and that sometimes makes them bump heads with each other. But they ultimately have the same goal in mind. Just different ways of achieving that goal. Dafoe is great as well, but it is the supporting cast that really makes this film. From Dourif to R. Lee Ermey to Stephen Tobolwolski, these characters are richly portrayed by the actors that play them. There is however one actor in particular that I wanted to touch on and that is Michael Rooker. He plays Frank, the nastiest, meanest, no conscience, negro hating person that I think I have ever seen on film. I don't know where his anger comes from, but he is the kind of character that you can imagine had a violent father that drank too much and always told stories about how bad the black man was. When Rooker is on screen you listen. You pay attention to what he is saying and doing. And my hatred of him was one of my favourite parts of the film.

    Mississippi Burning shows us how strange people are when it comes to racism. The characters in this film don't know why they hate the way they do, they just know that they do. And they are powerless to stop themselves. What happened to the three civil rights workers was a disgrace and a tragedy. But not just because three boys were murdered, but because no one knows why they were murdered,besides racism that is. Why did they have to die? Because they were a different colour of skin? Because they were Jewish? It really doesn't make any sense.

    Mississippi Burning is one of the best films I have ever seen. It is important and it is entertaining. If you haven't seen it, do so just for the scene with Mr. Anderson and Deputy Pell at the barber shop. That is worth the price of the rental alone. But for a really important film that has something to say, this is one of the best.
    helpful•164
    50
    • baumer
    • Jul 18, 1999

    FAQ9

    • After Anderson goes to the bar where the KKK is hanging out and lays down the law to them, he returns to the headquarters where Ward chews him out for that incident as well as hanging out at the beauty parlor. Anderson tells Ward "Deputy Pell's wife won't give us the info we need because her husband controls what she says and I'm not going to choke it out of her". Ward responds "this can of worms only opens from the inside". What did Ward mean with the "can of worms" comment?
    • When Ward told Anderson "this can of worms only opens from the inside" after Anderson told ward he won't get any info out of mrs pell, what did that quote mean?
    • What is 'Mississippi Burning' about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 27, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mississippi: Burning
    • Filming locations
      • Ross Barnett Reservior, Mississippi, USA
    • Production company
      • Orion Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $34,603,943
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $225,034
      • Dec 11, 1988
    • Gross worldwide
      • $34,603,943
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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