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Mississippi Burning (1988)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Chris Gerolmo (written by)
Release Date:
27 January 1989 (USA)
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Tagline:
1964. When America was at war with itself.
Plot:
Two FBI agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
FBI
|
Sheriff
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Mississippi
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Murder
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Killer Cop
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Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 15 wins
&
16 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(10 articles)
TCM's 'Summer Under the Stars' Posters are Phenomenal
(From Rope Of Silicon. 13 July 2009, 3:22 AM, PDT)
Phillip Noyce goes from CIA to FBI with 'Above Suspicion'
(From ioncinema. 11 November 2008)
(From Rope Of Silicon. 13 July 2009, 3:22 AM, PDT)
Phillip Noyce goes from CIA to FBI with 'Above Suspicion'
(From ioncinema. 11 November 2008)
User Comments:
The film succeeds by being gripping, emotional, and disturbing
more (127 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Gene Hackman | ... | Agent Rupert Anderson | |
| Willem Dafoe | ... | Agent Alan Ward | |
| Frances McDormand | ... | Mrs. Pell | |
| Brad Dourif | ... | Deputy Clinton Pell | |
| R. Lee Ermey | ... | Mayor Tilman | |
| Gailard Sartain | ... | Sheriff Ray Stuckey | |
| Stephen Tobolowsky | ... | Clayton Townley | |
| Michael Rooker | ... | Frank Bailey | |
| Pruitt Taylor Vince | ... | Lester Cowans | |
| Badja Djola | ... | Agent Monk | |
| Kevin Dunn | ... | Agent Bird | |
| Frankie Faison | ... | Eulogist | |
| Tom Mason | ... | Judge | |
| Geoffrey Nauffts | ... | Goatee | |
| Rick Zieff | ... | Passenger |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
128 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Canada:14A (Ontario) |
Iceland:16 |
Netherlands:16 |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:M |
Chile:14 |
Finland:K-16 |
Ireland:18 |
Norway:15 |
Peru:14 |
Singapore:PG |
South Korea:18 |
Spain:18 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:18 |
USA:R |
West Germany:16
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Interior shots in the Sheriff's Office, courtroom, and stairs from the courtroom were filmed in the old Carroll County courthouse in Vaiden, Miss. Built in 1905, the building was in such disrepair that crew and extras had to dodge falling bricks during filming. Though slated for designation as a National Historic Building, the courthouse has since been demolished.
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In one shot during the attempted lynching of Vertis Williams, the "noose" becomes detached on one side and flops from his neck while he is suspended in the air.
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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.
[they are hit again]
Passenger: What're we gonna do?
Driver: I don't know... OK, hold on, you guys.
[he veers to a side road]
Passenger: There's a truck, too.
[the car behind them turns on its roof light]
Driver: Shit, it *is* a cop.
Passenger: Better stop.
Driver: OK, sit tight, you guys. Don't say anything; let me talk... All right? We'll be all right; just relax.
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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.
[they are hit again]
Passenger: What're we gonna do?
Driver: I don't know... OK, hold on, you guys.
[he veers to a side road]
Passenger: There's a truck, too.
[the car behind them turns on its roof light]
Driver: Shit, it *is* a cop.
Passenger: Better stop.
Driver: OK, sit tight, you guys. Don't say anything; let me talk... All right? We'll be all right; just relax.
more
Soundtrack:
Making Believe
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FAQ
How does it end?more
more (127 total)
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Mississippi Burning is set in 1964 when three civil rights activists are murdered in a small town by the Ku Klux Klan Two of them were white and one of them black
Based on actual events in Philadelphia, the screenplay centers chiefly on the hostility relationship between the two FBI agents (Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe) sent down to the small Mississippi town to seek information about the vanishing of the three victims Immediately upon their arrival, they are greeted with hostility by the local law enforcement and the town in general
Dafoe's Ward in charge of the casecomes off as the embodiment of everything those men in the south dislike about the "Yankees" who are coming down there commanding them how to act
Anderson(Hackman), who was once a Mississippi officer himself, has a special feel for how to settle things with Southerners He uses his charm to win the confidence of the friendly wife of a Klansman deputy, whom he suspects holds the key to unravel the details of the case
The scenes between McDormand and Hackman are the best of the film They dramatize how quickly two lonely people can match...
The film succeeds by being gripping, emotional, and disturbing Alan parker graphically explores the hatred, motivations and mentality that were once flaming through the American society in the 60's.