1n 1964 three civil rights activists disappeared in Mississippi and the FBI was called in to investigate the disappearances. Up until this point I could be describing both actual events and the plot of Mississippi Burning but that is really about all of the similarities that there are between the two. Mississippi Burning is a great movie all in itself. The acting is superb from the two lead actors, especially on Willem Dafoe's part. (Though Gene Hackman was the one nominated for an Oscar) The movie tells a powerful story about racism and hatred in the south during the sixties. The story is engaging and the characters are convincing. However this movie cannot be considered in any way to be historically accurate. Many things were thrown into the story to make it a better movie despite their lacking in accuracy. For example the two FBI agents are portrayed as one being a by the book agent and the other being a down and dirty street smart kind of guy. An excellent selling point for a buddy cop formula but unrealistic. There is also an added character that never existed but was a black character that helped the FBI in the interrogations so that the heroes of this anti-racist movie would not all be white. This is not to say that Mississippi is anything short of excellent. But watch it for it's entertainment value, not it's historical accuracy.
Review of Mississippi Burning
