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Mississippi Burning

  • 1988
  • R
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
129K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,009
46
Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning (1988)
Home Video Trailer from Orion Pictures
Play trailer1:34
4 Videos
99+ Photos
DocudramaPeriod DramaPolitical ThrillerPsychological ThrillerSuspense MysteryTragedyTrue CrimeCrimeDramaMystery

Two FBI agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights activists.Two FBI agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights activists.Two FBI agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights activists.

  • Director
    • Alan Parker
  • Writer
    • Chris Gerolmo
  • Stars
    • Gene Hackman
    • Willem Dafoe
    • Frances McDormand
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.8/10
    129K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,009
    46
    • Director
      • Alan Parker
    • Writer
      • Chris Gerolmo
    • Stars
      • Gene Hackman
      • Willem Dafoe
      • Frances McDormand
    • 289User reviews
    • 64Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 18 wins & 26 nominations total

    Videos4

    Mississippi Burning
    Trailer 1:34
    Mississippi Burning
    Mississippi Burning
    Trailer 1:34
    Mississippi Burning
    Mississippi Burning
    Trailer 1:34
    Mississippi Burning
    Clip - Agent Anderson Investigates The Barbershop
    Clip 2:42
    Clip - Agent Anderson Investigates The Barbershop
    Which Roles Did Samuel L. Jackson Turn Down?
    Video 2:31
    Which Roles Did Samuel L. Jackson Turn Down?

    Photos112

    View Poster
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    + 105
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    Top Cast87

    Gene Hackman
    Gene Hackman
    • Anderson
    Willem Dafoe
    Willem Dafoe
    • Ward
    Frances McDormand
    Frances McDormand
    • Mrs. Pell
    Brad Dourif
    Brad Dourif
    • Deputy Pell
    R. Lee Ermey
    R. Lee Ermey
    • Mayor Tilman
    Gailard Sartain
    Gailard Sartain
    • Sheriff Stuckey
    Stephen Tobolowsky
    Stephen Tobolowsky
    • Townley
    Michael Rooker
    Michael Rooker
    • Frank Bailey
    Pruitt Taylor Vince
    Pruitt Taylor Vince
    • Lester Cowens
    Badja Djola
    Badja Djola
    • Agent Monk
    Kevin Dunn
    Kevin Dunn
    • Agent Bird
    Frankie Faison
    Frankie Faison
    • Eulogist
    Thomas B. Mason
    • Judge
    • (as Tom Mason)
    Geoffrey Nauffts
    Geoffrey Nauffts
    • Goatee
    Rick Zieff
    Rick Zieff
    • Passenger
    Christopher White
    • Black Passenger
    Gladys Greer
    • Hattie
    Jake Gipson
    • Mose
    • Director
      • Alan Parker
    • Writer
      • Chris Gerolmo
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews289

    7.8128.7K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Mississippi Burning' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
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    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      In a review for Radio Times, former BBC film critic Barry Norman described the film's opening as "pure cinema, something no other medium could do so effectively."
    • Goofs
      When Anderson throws Pell into the chairs at the barbershop, Pell's stunt double has a different hairstyle (balding, with a comb-over).
    • Quotes
      • Ward: Where does it come from? All this hatred?
      • Anderson: You know, when I was a little boy, there was an old negro farmer that lived down the road from us, name of Monroe. And he was... well, I guess he was just a little luckier than my daddy was. He bought himself a mule. That was a big deal around that town. My daddy hated that mule, 'cause his friends were always kidding him that they saw Monroe out plowing with his new mule, and Monroe was going to rent another field now he had a mule. One morning, that mule showed up dead. They poisoned the water. After that, there wasn't any mention about that mule around my daddy. It just never came up. One time, we were driving down that road, and we passed Monroe's place and we saw it was empty. He just packed up and left, I guess, he must of went up north or something. I looked over at my daddy's face. I knew he done it. He saw that I knew. He was ashamed. I guess he was ashamed. He looked at me and said, If you ain't better than a nigger, son, who are you better than?
      • Ward: You think that's an excuse?
      • Anderson: No it's not an excuse. It's just a story about my daddy.
      • Ward: Where's that leave you?
      • Anderson: My old man was just so full of hate that he didn't know that bein' poor was what was killing him.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper: The Naked Gun/Dakota/Mississippi Burning/Vincent (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Take My Hand Precious Lord
      Words and Music by Thomas A. Dorsey
      Performed by Mahalia Jackson
      Courtesy of CBS Records

    Top picks

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    FAQ9

    • After Anderson goes to the bar where the KKK is hanging out and lays down the law to them, he returns to the headquarters where Ward chews him out for that incident as well as hanging out at the beauty parlor. Anderson tells Ward "Deputy Pell's wife won't give us the info we need because her husband controls what she says and I'm not going to choke it out of her". Ward responds "this can of worms only opens from the inside". What did Ward mean with the "can of worms" comment?
    • When Ward told Anderson "this can of worms only opens from the inside" after Anderson told ward he won't get any info out of mrs pell, what did that quote mean?
    • How did Sheriff Stuckey know / find out that it was Deputy Pell's wife that blabbed ?

    Details

    • Release date
      • January 27, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mississippi en llamas
    • Filming locations
      • Ross Barnett Reservior, Mississippi, USA
    • Production company
      • Orion Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $34,603,943
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $225,034
      • Dec 11, 1988
    • Gross worldwide
      • $34,603,943
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 2h 8m(128 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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