Mississippi Burning 1988
Directed by Alan Parker · 128 mins · 1,865 views
Synopsis
Trailers
Reviews (111)
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J
It is fun to try to imagine how this movie would have been written today. Far less time spent on the white denizens for one, who have a degree of interiority and nuance that doesn’t exist for the black characters, who exist mostly to be attacked and abused.
1,882 12 -
C
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R
One of those movies that you have probably heard of if you’re into watching or coming across movies about regular folks combating racism in the South. But I didn’t know anything about it beyond the fact that Gene Hackman was in it; that includes Willem Dafoe. And what else can I say? Some viewers may object, labeling the movie as belonging to the camp of those who use stereotypical bad guys to sway viewers to their side. One might also take a more cynical view and point out how, in a film meant to comment on the harassment, terrorism, and lynchings committed by the KKK, black people feel like they are being relegated to glorified extras, and how the FBI…
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S
There’s a scene where a black man is giving a speech during a funeral. This is one of the only moments of the film in which a black person gets to express his anger. The speech is riveting, but instead of lingering on this man’s face, letting the camera draw you in to feel his anger with him, the speech instead plays over mourners walking and the FBI agents shaking hands. In my opinion, this is misplaced direction, aptle only for a film told from the wrong perspective. Don’t get me wrong, it’s in no way a bad film. Alan Parker is great at creating an atmosphere, and it’s that atmosphere that draws you in to Mississippi Burning. There’s stuff…
594 3 -
C
We’re so lucky the FBI championed the civil rights movement and ended racism in the 70’s, imagine what we would have to deal today as a society if we hadn’t overcome that shit.
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N
“Hatred isn’t something you’re born with. It gets taught. You believe the hatred. You live it, you breathe it. You marry it”
821 1 -
M
just what we need a movie about how much good the FBI has done for black people 😃
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L
at least half of the scenes in this movie follow one of these three templates 1. some white character actor with a southern accent going like “hey, listen here jackass, I am WHITE, I am from MISSISSIPPI, and down here in Mississippi we’re all RACIST. we do things more racistly than you COMMIES up in the NORTH. that is our HERITAGE and you will RESPECT IT” for a good three minutes, regardless of who they are talking to or whether or not they were prompted 2. that same person going and committing some (well-shot!) hate crimes with their buddies in the middle of the night 3. Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe showing up at the site the morning after and going “well I think we know who’s behind this”
1,030 11 -
C
He may a spidey villain He may a horny sailorman He may a psycho looking man But Will Dafoe ain’t no racist and hate the Klan
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M
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N
You know any movie starring Gene Hackman & Willem Dafoe is gonna be a god damn fire.
1,204 8 -
E
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O
“es culpable cualquiera que permita que estas cosas sucedan y finge que no es así” y seguimos igual…
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A
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Z
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B
os protagonistas sao picas. mas brancos do FBI salvando o racismo ! wow discurso do funeral é fodastico
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G
Tudo bem feito, porém é mais um filme da saga “obrigado homem branco do governo americano por salvar as vidas dos negros!!!” O longa não tem UM personagem preto desenvolvido 🤦♂️
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R
Great movie, hard to watch at times. Sadly not much has changed
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H
piece of art
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R
Seria mt óbvio eu falar em marechal candido ronddon ne
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N
sempre vou achar meio “???” quando um filme fala de uma questão que afeta um grupo minoritário e não tem UM personagem personagem principal que faz parte dessa minoria dito isso, o filme é bem executado na premissa que ele mesmo se dá, mas cai nuns clichezões de filmes de detetive e não cria lá muito apego pelos agentes do fbi que deveriam ser os “heróis” da história (talvez aí que faltou outro protagonista pra essa história)
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MMiguel 8 月 22, 2026
Great performances, great lines, outstanding shot after outstanding shot. Kind of funny that the FBI is presented with endless resources. Nice Benito Cereno moment, too.
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B
Then michael rooker turned blue
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T
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M
No le tenía fe pero me ha sorprendido gratamente. Importante concienciar sobre el racismo. Vaya unos locos los del ku klux klan
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P
“- You admire those kids, don’t you? – Don’t you? – I think they’re being used. I think they’re being sent down here in their Volkswagens and their sneakers just to get their heads cracked open. – Did it ever occur to you then, maybe they believed in their work? – Did it ever occur to them they would die? – Maybe. – Washington sure knew. – Some things are worth dying for. – Down here they see things a…
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T
Uma obra tensa e bem construída, sustentada por duas actuações fortíssimas [Gene Hackman e Willem Dafoe] que compõem muito bem o contraste entre os dois investigadores, um mais visceral e conhecedor do terreno, o outro mais formal e idealista. É uma película que realmente não poupa o espectador da brutalidade, e essa crueza, eu diria, é parte do seu mérito. Vale destacar igualmente as actuações dos actores de voz da versão brasileira, com menção honrosa a Darcy Pedrosa, como o…
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J
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C
Pretty good
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L
Literal chills during the funeral scene
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L
la sacaron barata con la condena los hdp del kkk
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J
La satisfacción de como los iban haciendo mierda uno por uno no tiene nombre.
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A
I finished this film and immediately thought about writing a lengthy review, but as soon as I began, I realized I couldn’t remember the name of a single Black character. Which is only natural, considering most of them are referred to as “black boy,” “colored boy,” or some variation of the racial slurs thrown around throughout the film. Of course, for a film that seems so concerned with racial violence to give so little individuality to Black people is certainly…
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S
A well-crafted historical thriller. Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe make a great duo and both give fantastic performances, as does Frances McDormand in a supporting role. Some of the characters are a bit one-dimensional though, and it’s a shame all of the black characters are largely sidelined when they are so central to the historical events being depicted. Name a Woman Challenge 2026 – Starring Frances McDormand Honey I Shrunk the Watchlist! Challenge 2026 – Watch a movie from a director you haven’t watched anything from Watching all the Best Picture nominated films before the 100th Academy Awards – 463/621
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L
White men using their privileges as FBI within the same system they’re ‘fighting’ against, leaving the black community behind to deal with the aftermath and remaining KKK. I didnt think this movie had any heroes. Just people participating in an oppressive system, ‘protecting’ the same people the system is built to oppress. While not having to suffer the consequences of their own actions, unlike the black community that remains.
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J
O que acontece quando juntamos Gene Hackman, o ator supremo para fazer personagens endurecidos por fora e sensíveis por dentro, geralmente fazendo deles figuras tanto trágicas quanto cômicas, e Willem Dafoe, o próprio dançarino facial tleilaxu, para coexisitirem em tela e, por boa parte do tempo, se xingarem, gritarem e se esbofetearem – com uma das lapadas mais secas que já vi na vida, inclusive – à vontade e com poucos freios? Errado não tinha como dar. Não é todo…
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M
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P
افلام من نوع الممل الممتع يناقش فكره عميقه
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R
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K
Os famosos mocinhos do FBI
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L
还行，美国种族问题的又一呈现，最后看见迫害黑人的都是标准美国老白男，真的是一点不意外。
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A
que construção, filminho redondo. mais doq os detetives sendo protagonistas, o diretor da um papel quase macabro pra cidade e ao seu imaginário/cultura influenciado pela klan, como se em td canto vc estivesse sendo visto
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1
Where does it come from… all these hatred?
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C
Le filme ma marqué, déjà par l’intrigue autour de l’histoire du ku klux klan et le fait que se soit basé sur une histoire vraie. Mais aussi par la cruauté dénoncer et montrer avec des scènes parfois très dure a voir. Malgré tout j’ai adoré et je le recommande sans hésitation !
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D
a un passo dal capolavoro
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T
There are some isolated moments of cliche dialogue/writing, but overall it’s a harrowing but subtly optimistic viewing experience.
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_
It’s a bit dated and I’m sure inaccurate but it’s great film nonetheless. The cast is pretty stacked.
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F
Really good movie but definjtely a bit of white saviour vibes that could be Les prominent being a movie about civil rights during the 60s in the south
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B
A treat to watch Hackman deliver the long dick of the law.
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A
Trigger warning: lynching, hate crimes, racism in the 1960s’ South. Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe as the leads are as great as you would expect them to be. It’s the duo I’d watch even if the plot was so-so, but here the plot about two FBI agents coming to a small-town in Mississippi ruled by the KKK in order to investigate the disappearances of a few activists in the 1960s is tense and relevant. What didn’t age so well is…
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C
I liked this, falls into white savior a bit for sure but there was no true salvation at the end
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S
Well that was harrowing.
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T
So much racist violence, but I watched this on Pluto TV so every time it cut to a commercial with a happy black person in it, it felt like the end of Zone of Interest.
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B
De onde vem? Todo esse ódio?
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C
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E
Thank god I wasn’t alive in the 50s
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L
Um retrato muito bom do período da segregação nos EUA, porém escanteia muito os personagens pretos pra focar numa dicotomia entre “brancos do bem e brancos do mal” Esses “brancos do bem” também são os mesmos que orquestraram golpes de Estado em África e na América Latina inteira e o filme omite isso também Apesar disso, ele retrata muito bem como a democracia estadunidense não passa de uma ficção
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_
bien ahí que los hicieron concha a esos HDP
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M
Really powerful! “Mississippi Burning” isn’t just a good thriller with dramatic elements—it’s a film about racism and how it has shaped American history. I like movies that tackle a heavy and difficult topic and weave it into a plot that’s connected to it, even if the connection isn’t immediately obvious. Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe have great chemistry and portray different types of law enforcement officers who, at the end of the day, want the same thing. One is tough…
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F
I hadn’t watched Mississippi Burning in at least a quarter century. I landed on it almost by accident — laid up after some minor oral surgery, craving the comfort of a great performance — but nothing about today’s viewing felt accidental. The film hit harder than I remembered. Gene Hackman is the reason to watch this film, and rewatching it reminded me why he’s one of the finest actors this country has produced. He has that rare quality where the…
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P
“Sai, quand’ero un ragazzino… c’era un vecchio contadino negro che viveva in fondo alla nostra strada, di nome Monroe. E lui era… beh… immagino che fosse solo un po’ più ‘fortunato’ di mio padre. Si era comprato un mulo. Era un grosso affare da quelle parti. Mio padre odiava quel mulo. I suoi amici lo prendevano in giro dicendo che avevano visto Monroe arare con il suo nuovo mulo… e che Monroe avrebbe affittato un altro campo… ora che aveva…
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H
Willem Dafoe’s peak visual.
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M
Es dura de ver, y más duro de pensar lo que pasaba
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J
you’re telling me they ACQUITTED the Sheriff after this shit. what the FUCKKK. willem dafoe you handsome devil. this movie is amazing, so many important and relevant things to say here (i am going to refrain from ranting on my letterboxd once again)
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ياخي اعشق الافلام الي قصتها حقيقيه عشق مو طبيعي الفيلم عبارة عن بلدة عنصريه بكل اختصار انذبحو فيها 3 اشخاص اثنين بيض وواحد اسمر وجو محققين من الاف بي اي يحققون فيها الاحداث جامده اكيد مبهره لكن لابد من التبهير الاخراج جامد فيلم لازم تتابعه مره وحده بحياتك اقل شي
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F
Wie schlimm sind die Menschen? Wir haben das Jahr 1964. Die rassentrennung ist noch im vollen Gange. Das wird in der Anfangsszene des Films sehr schön gezeigt. Hier sind nämlich zwei Wasserspender zu sehen, darüber sind Schilder angebebracht, auf denen die Worte “Weiß” und “Farbig” stehen. Drei Bürgerrechtler fahren durch Mississippi, um den farbigen Mitbürgern dabei zu helfen sich in die Wählerlisten einzutragen. Sie werden eines Nachts von der Polizei angehalten und aus einem windigen Grund in Untersuchungshaft gesteckt. Sie…
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T
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G
Muy cerca de ser una 5 estrellas, tal vez en un rewatch aumente.
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A
Really well made and gripping societal thriller, only feels extremely weird because of the FBI the good guys framing in the civil rights movement. Young Willem Dafoe is brilliant but still very creepy looking even in one of his most straight man roles. Young Frances McDormand is beautiful and looks like a different actor that will break the record with 3 acting Oscars in the future. Gene Hackman is Gene Hackman, always a feat in acting showdown.
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J
“It was a war long before we got here.” Tons of my boys in this one! Hackman, Dafoe, Dourif, Ermey, Tobolowsky, Rooker, Dunn, Faison, it’s a murderer’s row. It’s a shame so many of them are playing actual murderers.
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J
Willem dafoe jeune c’est qlq chose
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M
I feel like this is such great movie that everybody should watch for our own knowledge that help us to be more in touch with our history, and to understand how awful some people and mindsets were.
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W
“Anyone is quilty who watches this happen and pretends it isn’t” Crazy how a movie with such a small budget can be this good.
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E
genuinely horrifying and gut-wrenching
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D
Great movie. Made you feel.
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A
It’s a cliched performance at this point, but Gene Hackman rips in this
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I
Willem dafoe jovem nao existe e nao pode te machucar
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S
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L
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L
“Sai, è l’unica volta in cui un uomo di colore può agitare un bastone contro un bianco e non scatenare una rivolta.”
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A
Super film je voulais pas qu’il s’arrête après 2h Par contre la storyline amour m’a paru un peu forcée et pas nécessaire
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S
Wow incredible movie Shit hit for sure Mfs was vile But great movie Def an experience Fkin yung william da foe The fkin goat man South was tough man None better than random watch banger Goosebumps
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T
Incredible movie in so many ways. All of the performances in this movie were great. In a lot of ways, it felt like a very classic film despite the subject of matter, but it was a classic story that was punching above its weight.
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T
This is really a very good film, with a pretty tremendous cast. Gene Hackman is the standout, and I think with this and The French Connection it’s really made me appreciate how great he is. You also have great performances from Willem Defoe and Frances McDormand, and of course that man who is so close to my heart: Brad Dourif 😍😍 (although I never like when he plays a racist). Also, what an excellent score and main theme. I guess…
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M
A bit repetitive, and it never quite reaches its potential. It still had me deeply invested the whole time.
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C
some fair criticisms to made here — particularly its depiction of almost all black Mississippians as fearful silhouettes or at times even downright complicit — and its unnecessary creative liberties with the story and lionizing of the FBI. hoover (obviously) did not want to get involved and only did when LBJ forced him. then it was RFK who sent in most of the manpower. could’ve used a lot more focus on civil rights, the victims and the broader struggle they were…
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I
Absoluta joya cinematografica desde que inicia no te suelta y te mantiene en una tension constante con excelentes actuaciones de todo el reparto y un melancolico sountrack
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Z
4.1/5 Other than some very 80s scenes, which really don‘t fit the subject matter, this is such a riveting film with so much noticeable anger in it. The display of southern racial violence is incredibly shocking, especially for its time, yet the extent of it is wholly necessary for people to get a grasp of what these people had to go through. This film also won Best Camera at the Academy Awards and is absolutely deserving of it. I wonder…
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N
gene hackman really tapped in on this one ,, wasn’t letting 1 mf through
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K
uh love you willem but lets have see what the actual people gotta say haha
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R
let’s make a movie about the crimes of the kkk, but not about the black people they hurt, let’s make it about white blue-eyed FBI agents, you know, let’s make the whole damn main cast fully white it was a good movie tho. btw i didn’t know Willem Dafoe used to be that hot
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D
Just hooked on the old detective and young buck police drama genre. 80s William Defoe is just a mindfuck in a great way. D145: Multiple
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L
Um filme com Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe e Frances McDormand é garantia de um filme bom, por si só. Em alguns momentos me peguei pensando no absurdo que é o racismo. Por mais que seja um tema recorrente, um filme tem esse poder de lembrar o óbvio. Aqui a história é de época, mas até hoje e sabe se lá até quando isso ainda vai permanecer. O preconceito, com violência, seja pela cor de pele de uma pessoa ou pela…
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L
Yassified Frances! Massive props to Badja Djola for believably scaring the scariest man himself R LEE ERMEY onscreen Rooker already being this terrifying in his early 30s is an impressive feat. Creepy white male character actor cavalcade (complimentary) Harrowing and devastating viewing, don’t think a rewatch is on the table. Incredible performances. Also, I very much see what Spike Lee’s criticism of it highlights and agree with him ultimately!
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A
un peu mitigé sur l’axe du film sur 2-3 truc mais c ok c sorti y’a 40 ans et c tjr un plaisir de voir des nazi se faire hagar mais j’aurai aimé que ce soit pas que par la police de merde
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F
La scène d’intro est particulièrement une des plus fortes du cinéma. Moderne pour son époque.
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Wo
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Iira >:) 8 月 18, 2026
this as a nap soundtrack will produce extremely bizarre dreams
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R
la verdad siento que es una trama q se repite mucho pero está tiene algo especial, no solo el carisma de gene Hackman, y lo bien que hace su trabajo Dafoe, sino como lleva la historia etapa a etapa, arco a arco, muy entretenida, genial visualmente con unos planos que te dejan pensando “q lindo q sería como fondo de pantalla” banque
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F
esse protestantismo da ku klux klan é bem característico da extrema-direita que vemos hoje. tudo aquilo que se opunham era tido como comunista – até mesmo o J. Edgar Hoover, chefão do FBI; eram descarados, apesar das fantasias, e destilavam discursos de ódio sem maiores preocupações (alô, trump); sabiam causar confusão: ateavam fogo em igrejas, estábulos, casas. o Mississipi, no caso do filme, deveria ser um Estado, para esses membros da kkk, onde negros não se criavam; o Paraná, em…
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C
Some of dafoes finest acting
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L
Que bien filmada está por favaaar. Solo no me gustó la música que eligió ochentosa nomas
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G
Great cast… Hackman is a beast as usual.. kinda would have thought Hackman would have played the buttoned up no-nonsense cop and Defoe the loose cannon. Alan Parker’s sweaty style helps but it’s a little too Hollywood for it’s own good, and really needed some black characters with some agency.
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G
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T
so incredibly well acted
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N
AND WE GONNA LET IT BURN BURN BURN BURN
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A
Hackman is the goat, even with his half assed southern accent. Could’ve used more black subplots.
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L
🫣
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D
Review
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A
It’s a classic movie in all sort. Has a really good cast, amazing performances, beautiful cinematography and a powerful story.
- Synopsis
- Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and white. The younger agent trained in FBI school runs up against the small town ways of his partner, a former sheriff.
- Director
- Alan Parker
- Writer
- Chris Gerolmo
- Studio
- Orion Pictures, Frederick Zollo Productions
- Country
- USA
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1988
- Runtime
- 128 mins
- USA02 Dec 1988
- Germany17 Feb 1989
- USSR01 Jul 1989
- China01 Jun 2001
- USA08 Dec 1988
- USA27 Jan 1989
- Australia16 Feb 1989
- Italy23 Feb 1989
- Austria01 Mar 1989
- Sweden10 Mar 1989
- Japan11 Mar 1989
- Netherlands16 Mar 1989
- Spain19 Mar 1989
- South Korea20 Mar 1989
- Greece22 Mar 1989
- Brazil23 Mar 1989
- Finland24 Mar 1989
- Denmark25 Mar 1989
- France29 Mar 1989
- Portugal30 Mar 1989
- Switzerland05 Apr 1989
- Switzerland07 Apr 1989
- South Africa21 Apr 1989
- UK05 May 1989
- Turkey01 Dec 1989
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