Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Genres - Drama |
Sub-Genres - Docudrama, Message Movie |
Release Date - Dec 20, 1996 (USA) |
Run Time - 130 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - PG13
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Synopsis by Clarke Fountain
This is a long-awaited film telling the story of the trials of Medgar Evers' killer. Medger Evers (James Pickens, Jr.) was a black civil-rights activist in Mississippi who was shot to death in 1963. Despite very persuasive evidence that Byron De La Beckwith (James Woods) was indeed his killer, the all-white juries hearing his case at that time acquitted him (he was tried twice). In this film, with the aid of Ever's widow Myrlie (Whoopie Goldberg), Bobby DeLaughter (Alec Baldwin), a young lawyer, gathers enough new evidence to bring Beckwith in for a third trial. Woods' performance as a wise-cracking bigot is one of the film's highlights.
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Keywords
activism, assassination, bigotry, Civil-Rights, courtroom, investigation, killing, lawyer, murder, trial [courtroom], widow/widower