Mississippi Burning

R

Released Jan 27, 1989

2 hr. 5 min.

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

79%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

90%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When a group of civil rights workers goes missing in a small Mississippi town, FBI agents Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) are sent in to investigate. Local authorities refuse to cooperate with them, and the African American community is afraid to, precipitating a clash between the two agents over strategy. As the situation becomes more volatile, the direct approach is abandoned in favor of more aggressive, hard-line tactics.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Apr 26

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Apple TV

Rent Mississippi Burning on Fandango at Home, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

Mississippi Burning draws on real-life tragedy to impart a worthy message with the measured control of an intelligent drama and the hard-hitting impact of a thriller.

Read Critics Reviews

Jeff G

Fantastic movie. Amazing performances by Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/25/24

Full Review

Fredric B

A classic film that really captures the period and essence of 1964 Mississippi.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/09/24

Full Review

Jack B

This movie should be mandatory viewing in every American school. Excellent movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

Full Review

Jim R

Fantastic movie! Really well written.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/22/23

Full Review

Alec C

A very tense tragedy about the deep racism of the south. Conflicted characters with conflicting personalities that make for an impressive chemistry between Hackman and Dafoe. Based on the true crime that was committed by an evil that was all to real!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

Connor S

More freeze than burn in this well-acted, but slow-moving, cliche-filled snoozer.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Alan Parker

Director

Gene Hackman

Agent Rupert Anderson

Willem Dafoe

Agent Alan Ward

Frances McDormand

Mrs. Pell

Brad Dourif

Deputy Clinton Pell

R. Lee Ermey

Mayor Tilman

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Mississippi Burning: Official Clip - Welcome to Mississippi

2:03

Mississippi Burning: Official Clip - We Into It Now, Boys

2:10

Mississippi Burning: Official Clip - Federal Bureau of Integration

1:58

Mississippi Burning: Official Clip - Eulogy

2:06

Mississippi Burning: Official Clip - Anderson's Way

2:04

Mississippi Burning: Official Clip - The Burning Cross

1:52

Mississippi Burning: Official Clip - A Razor-Sharp Interrogation

2:15

Mississippi Burning: Official Clip - Searching the Swamp

2:14

Mississippi Burning: Official Clip - Hatred Is Taught

1:55

Mississippi Burning: Official Clip - Wringing Necks

2:10

View more videos

95%

95%

The Silence of the Lambs

50%

61%

No Man's Land

77%

64%

Frantic

94%

77%

Manhunter

68%

51%

Code of Silence

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Five Favourite Films with Bill Nighy

Besson Announces / Cancels Retirement on "Arthur" Sequel

View more photos

Pauline Kael

New Yorker

Each time I heard the pulsating music start working me up for the next bout of violence, I dreaded what was coming. The manipulation got to me, all right, but the only emotion I felt was hatred of the movie.

Sep 13, 2023

Full Review

Sean French

Sight & Sound

Parker has loudly claimed the right to fictionalise his subject matter, but he must not then use these fictions as evidence with which to hector us on the realities of law enforcement.

Jan 16, 2020

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Unfortunately, the central narrative premise of Mississippi Burning sets up the FBI as the sole heroic defender of the victims of southern racism in 1964, which is more than a little disgusting.

Rated: 0/4

Jan 2, 2019

Full Review

Noah W. Griffin

The Crisis

By centering on a fictionalized account of the actual FBI involvement in solving the mystery surrounding the disappearance of three civil rights workers, the film bypasses the black role in the Mississippi Civil Rights struggle.

Nov 14, 2023

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

As a crime thriller “Mississippi Burning” maintains a simmering level of suspense. Interestingly the suspense lies more in how things play out rather than what the outcome will be.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 24, 2022

Full Review

Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

The pairing of the two leads pays big dividends.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 7, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

When a group of civil rights workers goes missing in a small Mississippi town, FBI agents Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) are sent in to investigate. Local authorities refuse to cooperate with them, and the African American community is afraid to, precipitating a clash between the two agents over strategy. As the situation becomes more volatile, the direct approach is abandoned in favor of more aggressive, hard-line tactics.

Director: Alan Parker
Screenwriter: Chris Gerolmo
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Production Co: Orion Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 27, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $33.7M
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now