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Ghosts of Mississippi

Play trailer Poster for Ghosts of Mississippi PG-13 1996 2h 10m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
43% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In this film based on actual events, black activist Medgar Evers (James Pickens Jr.) is murdered in 1963, and much of the evidence points toward white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith (James Woods). However, after two trials, De La Beckwith is acquitted twice by a jury of whites. Now, decades later in 1989, Evers' widow, Myrlie (Whoopi Goldberg), thinks she has evidence to finally convict him. But no lawyer will touch the case except the young and brash Bobby DeLaughter (Alec Baldwin).
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Ghosts of Mississippi

Ghosts of Mississippi

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Critics Consensus

James Woods is convincing as a white supremacist, but everything else rings false in this courtroom drama, which examines a weighty subject from the least interesting perspective.

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Critics Reviews

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David Denby New York Magazine/Vulture 12/05/2018
I've grown increasingly restive at such films as Mississippi Burning, A Time to Kill, and Ghosts of Mississippi... All three films celebrate the heroism of white law officers in prosecuting racist killers. Go to Full Review
Nell Minow Movie Mom 08/20/2004
3/5
Strong performances but just another movie about civil rights issues that pays too much attention to the white characters. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
2.5/4
It closes a chapter in history, but scarcely brings it to life. Go to Full Review
Scott Mendelson rec.arts.movies.reviews 04/25/2007
C+
Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily 10/09/2005
2/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 06/15/2005
1/5
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Audience Reviews

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Blu B Nov 20 It's not bad. It reminds me of a lot of the subject matters that movies like Mississippi Burning & A Time to Kill did significantly better. I agree this is an important story to be told and a great one but it just loses steam the more it goes. Acting is solid, good cinematography, production value, and it makes perfect sense the entire way. Woods is great as the bad guy and everyone is giving Oscar worthy effort. I think my biggest problem is there isn't much emotion in this from everyone. It's pretty stoic and there isn't much in the way of compelling supporting characters outside of Woods. Dialouge is fine. Reiner's direction isn't bad here. Some scenes are stronger than others here. Everything else is half decent. I think the biggest blow here is how repetitive this gets and second is it gets a little muddled at times. We already know he did it right from the opening scene. We don't really explore the psyche and when we go looking for evidence and witnesses we already know the he did it. So there isn't much suspense. It still works well enough though but it's ironically really during the courtroom trial that it loses me. Because in the best courtroom dramas we end up learning something new or the trial plays out as new twists and turns happen outside during the runtime. This doesn't do that. It just spends the next 35 minutes summarizing everything we just saw. The witnesses we talked to say what we heard before again, Whoopi ends up repeating what we saw at the open again, the opening and closing statements summarize everything up to that point again, nothing new is learned. And it just loses my interest. Another point is the romance with his new wife feels like it doesn't add much and the investigation at points feels like it doesn't flow as smooth at certain points. The next witness, finding the gun, the romance, the bomb threat, sometimes it just feels like it could all flow a bit better. To it's credit we stay focused on baldwin the entire way. In conclusion it feels like a well done made for TV movie at the end of the day because it just lacks in a few key areas. This should've been better given this is the guy who made a Few Good Men only a handful of years earlier. But if your a big fan of any actors here, Reiner, or want to learn about the subject matter which this does do a good job at it might be worth to check this out. But most could skip this for better more tense courtroom dramas. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Aug 29 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Hugh L Jan 20 I understand (but do not share) some of the criticisms of this film. The film was a remarkable achievement, considering the time at which it was created. Yes, there is a bit of what we minorities call "The White Savior" syndrome. However, the film seems to be very true to the actual historical events. It is also powerfully acted and directed, and the desire of the cast and crew to do honor to the story seems apparent, to me at least. There are many, many powerful and moving scenes. Personally, when Alec Baldwin says the line " We never get right for the wrong we done" I am very moved. I think Rob Reiner gets an "A for Effort", as does most of the cast. James Woods is entirely beleivable as a sociopath..... the role he was made to play. See more Lance U @AquaQuick66 12/12/2023 Unfortunately the filmmakers behind ‘GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI' didn't feel that this very fascinating, very heartbreaking, very powerful & very true story deserved a very good movie. Such a wasted opportunity. C- See more Michael W @mawilps 10/01/2023 This courtroom movie was really good. Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, James Woods, Craig T. Nelson, William H. Macy, and the rest of the cast did a fantastic job in this movie. This true story about the murder case of activist Medger Evers that took nearly 30 years to convict the murderer was dramatic, inspirational, and tense. It's about never giving up on a case no matter how long it takes to win. If you haven't seen this movie yet, check it out sometime. It's a definite must see. See more Michael S @mstrocko 09/06/2023 James Woods as an evil racist is the only reason to see this underachieving drama. See more Read all reviews
Ghosts of Mississippi

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this film based on actual events, black activist Medgar Evers (James Pickens Jr.) is murdered in 1963, and much of the evidence points toward white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith (James Woods). However, after two trials, De La Beckwith is acquitted twice by a jury of whites. Now, decades later in 1989, Evers' widow, Myrlie (Whoopi Goldberg), thinks she has evidence to finally convict him. But no lawyer will touch the case except the young and brash Bobby DeLaughter (Alec Baldwin).
Director
Rob Reiner
Producer
Frederick Zollo, Andrew Scheinman, Rob Reiner, Nicholas Paleologos
Screenwriter
Lewis Colick
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Castle Rock Entertainment, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating
PG-13
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 20, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$13.1M
Runtime
2h 10m
Sound Mix
Surround
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