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Jasper, Texas

  • TV Movie
  • 2003
  • R
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
688
YOUR RATING
Jasper, Texas (2003)
Pre, "February 2004"
Play trailer1:09
1 Video
2 Photos
Drama

In 1998, a stunning crime thrust Jasper, Texas into the spotlight. What happened on that summer evening - the death of black hitchhiker James Byrd, Jr. by three white men - became a flash-po... Read allIn 1998, a stunning crime thrust Jasper, Texas into the spotlight. What happened on that summer evening - the death of black hitchhiker James Byrd, Jr. by three white men - became a flash-point for the state of race relations in America.In 1998, a stunning crime thrust Jasper, Texas into the spotlight. What happened on that summer evening - the death of black hitchhiker James Byrd, Jr. by three white men - became a flash-point for the state of race relations in America.

  • Director
    • Jeffrey W. Byrd
  • Writer
    • Jonathan Estrin
  • Stars
    • Jon Voight
    • Louis Gossett Jr.
    • Joe Morton
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    688
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jeffrey W. Byrd
    • Writer
      • Jonathan Estrin
    • Stars
      • Jon Voight
      • Louis Gossett Jr.
      • Joe Morton
    • 16User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 4 nominations

    Videos1

    Jasper, Texas
    Trailer 1:09
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    Photos

    Jasper, Texas (2003)
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    Top cast

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    Jon Voight
    Jon Voight
    • Billy Rowles
    Louis Gossett Jr.
    Louis Gossett Jr.
    • R.C. Horn
    Joe Morton
    Joe Morton
    • Walter Diggles
    Ron White
    Ron White
    • Guy James Gray
    Emily Yancy
    • Stella Byrd
    Bokeem Woodbine
    Bokeem Woodbine
    • Khalid X
    Blu Mankuma
    Blu Mankuma
    • James Byrd Sr.
    Eugene Clark
    Eugene Clark
    • Don Clark
    William S. Taylor
    William S. Taylor
    • Reverend Lyons
    • (as William Taylor)
    Karen Robinson
    Karen Robinson
    • Mary Horn
    Roy T. Anderson
    Roy T. Anderson
    • James Byrd, Jr.
    Michelle Moffat
    • Mamie Horn
    Demore Barnes
    Demore Barnes
    • Ricky Horn
    Kedar Brown
    Kedar Brown
    • Reverend
    • (as Kedar)
    Cherion Drakes
    Cherion Drakes
    • Claire Byrd
    Kevin Hanchard
    Kevin Hanchard
    • Thurman Byrd
    J.D. Nicholsen
    • Mike Lout
    Victoria Snow
    Victoria Snow
    • Nancy Nicholson
    • Director
      • Jeffrey W. Byrd
    • Writer
      • Jonathan Estrin
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Byrd: The Life and Tragic Death of James Byrd Jr.
    Byrd: The Life and Tragic Death of James Byrd Jr.

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Despite similar last name, Director Jeffrey W. Byrd is not related to James Byrd, Jr.
    • Goofs
      Though set in Jasper, Texas, pharmacy window contains advertisements for "Canada's #1 Weight Loss System."

    User reviews16

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Racism on two sides of Texas
    Texas is a big, big state. There is plenty of room for racism to exist in any places at once. In 1998, there were two big incidents that made national headlines.

    Near the Louisiana border, in Jasper, Texas. James Byrd was being drug to his death by three white men out for a good time. 600 miles away, near the New Mexico border, in Tulia, Texas, the sheriff hired Tome Coleman to combat his town's perceived drug problem. As the trials went on in Jasper, a pre-dawn raid rounded up 46 black men in Tulia and they were sentenced to 750 years in prison on trumped-up charges.

    We will have to wait until Halle Berry has her baby to see the completion of Tulia, but we can watch the crimes in Jasper, now.

    Louis Gossett Jr. plays the Mayor of Jasper, and Jon Voight is the Sheriff. They have to deal with the impact of the crime and the trial on a town of 8,000. They are not only ill prepared to investigate such a heinous murder, but they have to deal with the Black Panthers, who arrive to march armed (legal in Texas), and the KKK. I cannot think of two actors who were better suited for the parts, and could have played them better.

    The overall message of the film is that these three men were not representative of the town - that blacks and whites got along. The truth was laid bare during the trial. They got along because the black citizens did not make waves. There was an undercurrent of racism throughout the community and it took an incident like this to get the town to look at it.

    It is a shame that it took a death to make things better, but James Byrd did have what is hopefully a lasting legacy on the town.
    helpful•9
    2
    • lastliberal
    • Feb 8, 2008

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • June 8, 2003 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Jasper, Texas - La città dell'odio
    • Filming locations
      • Beaverton, Ontario, Canada
    • Production company
      • Showtime Networks
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 54 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 4:3

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