Drama, Crime, Mystery, Thriller  •  1988  •  128 min  •  Adults (18+)

Mississippi Burning (1988)

Mississippi Burning poster

Mississippi Burning (1988)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Progressive
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
Christianity: Negative
Judaism: Positive

Viewer Rating
7.5

Overview

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.


Starring Cast

Gene Hackman  •   Willem Dafoe  •   Frances McDormand


Where to watch

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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Progressive

Primary

Political: Strong Left
Confidence: Medium

The film's central thesis explicitly condemns systemic racism and white supremacist violence, advocating for civil rights and justice, which are core tenets of progressive ideology.

Diversity: High
Confidence: High

The movie features a cast that reflects the racial diversity of its historical setting, without explicit race or gender swaps of traditional roles. However, its narrative strongly critiques traditional identities by portraying white supremacists as antagonists and centers on themes of racial injustice and the fight against systemic oppression.

Secondary

Christianity: Negative
Confidence: High

The film portrays many Christian characters, particularly members of the Ku Klux Klan and complicit townspeople, as deeply hypocritical, using their faith to justify extreme racism, violence, and oppression. The narrative implicitly condemns this perversion of Christian teachings, highlighting the moral corruption of those who claim religious piety while committing heinous acts.

Judaism: Positive
Confidence: High

The film portrays Jewish civil rights workers as victims of hateful antisemitism, which is depicted as an integral part of the KKK's white supremacist ideology. The narrative unequivocally condemns this bigotry, positioning the audience to sympathize with the victims.

LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High

Mississippi Burning (1988) does not feature any LGBTQ+ characters or themes. The film's narrative is exclusively centered on the historical events of the civil rights movement, racial prejudice, and the investigation of the murders of civil rights workers in the American South.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

Mississippi Burning is a historical drama centered on the investigation of civil rights workers' murders in 1964 Mississippi. The film primarily explores themes of racial injustice and the civil rights movement. There are no identifiable transsexual characters or themes depicted in the film's narrative or character arcs.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film features fictional FBI agents investigating a historical event. There are no instances where a character, established as one gender in source material or history, is portrayed as a different gender.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film features original characters (FBI agents) created for the movie, and while based on a historical event, it does not portray specific historical figures with altered races. No established character's race was changed.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

7.5

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
7.8
The Movie Database logo
7.7

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
7.9
Metacritic logo
6.5

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