While racial conflict was still a hot topic in 1970, it didn't receive the treatment it deserved in The Liberation of L.B. Jones. It's not that Liberation's heart isn't in the right place; the film, after all, clearly is on the side of the victims of bigotry. But Stirling Silliphant's screenplay is surprisingly cliched and unconvincing; there are very few shades of grey in either the characters or the plot, and the melodramatics become a bit tired, despite the intensity with which the material is imbued. Silliphant's dialogue also doesn't convince, coming across as arch and artificial, as well as self-consciously hip at times. Though Liberation could never have been made as "honestly" in the 1950s, it still has a very dated feel to it; well-intentioned but heavy-handed. Director William Wyler is not in good enough form to overcome the script problems; his work feels a bit tired, and there's not enough visual flair to help detract from the film's flaws. The cast, however, is quite good, with exemplary work from Rose Lee Browne, Lola Falana and Anthony Zerbe, the last-named managing to be utterly despicable while still managing to find some surprising (and welcome) nuances to heighten his performance.