A LOOK INTO THE DARK PAST : "MISSISSIPPI BURNING"

Ok. You know how a lot of movie genres work right? There are a few “ancestral” films – as it were – that come with a convention, a “something”. And they do it so well that tons of other films try to copy it, and succeed to a greater or larger extent, creating a “movie convention”. I have discovered one of these ancestral movies ladies and gents. It is not much of a momentous discovery as such, as the film is quite well known generally speaking. It’s just that I had never watched it before.

So, if you watch a lot of crime drama and thrillers (ehm), you will be aware of one convention: the older versus younger cop. They are put together as a team to solve a momentous crime. The young cop has passion, the older, more cynical cop has the wisdom of years on his side. They clash at first, but then find a common path and use their respective strengths to put baddies behind bars. Yeah. I have a sneaking suspicion this is the film that others copied. If not the ultimate original, it definitely “does it” so well that it sure deserves to be counted among the great forefathers. I mean, to the point that, writing the review a day later I am still “hot under the collar” about it. And the best part? It was based on real life…

Our story starts in a small town in Mississippi, in the year 1964. Segregation is still very much a lifestyle in America, but the winds of change have finally begun to blow. African-Americans have finally got the right to vote but unfortunately, the battle does not end there. There is the whole matter of actually getting people registered and voting, and if the bigots of the country have anything to do with it, that won’t be happening any time soon… Luckily there are those more than willing to stand up to these bullies and three civil rights workers, one black and two white, are trying to work with the black community to get voter registration complete.                Until, that is, they go missing. A team from the FBI is sent to investigate as the area is known to be volatile, showing a strong presence of the KKK. The two agents are the young and passionate Agent Alan Ward (a Willem Dafoe so young I barely recognised him) and the older, more experienced Agent Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) who used to be the sheriff of a small town just like this one.  The personality clash between them kicks off as early as on the drive down, but the moment they arrive it is very clear indeed that all is not well in the town. Agent Ward, the lead investigator on this case, is full of passion and is ready to move Heaven and earth to bring the killers to justice. However, Agent Anderson knows that in this close-knit and complex community, the strong-arm approach is simply not going to work. As Agent Ward’s approach seems to be doing more harm than good, it is up to Agent Anderson to rein him in, the question is can he? And more importantly, will their powers combined be enough to uncover the dark secrets of this town?

Ok, first of all, if you watch this film, keep an eye on Gene Hackman for what is, in my opinion, one of the greatest “raaah” moments on television. To those of you familiar with the movie I mean the scene where he goes to the social club on his own. It’s like all the Clint Eastwood movies you can think of rolled together and made ten times better. I’m not even a particular fan of Clint Eastwood movies. But there you are. Powerful stuff.      

That is not the only thing powerful about the film however. I would go as far as claiming you had a heart of stone if you didn’t become rather emotional and angry upon watching this film. There are many famous reviews and articles about the film and one of the main objections seems to be that  the events were very much distorted and exaggerated for dramatic effect. A criticism to which the director responded by saying it was a work of fiction not a documentary. And I must say, when you are able to (heck, if you are able to) distance yourself from the emotions stirred up by this film you will find that yes, some of the things that happened do seem a little OTT. There is that and the second criticism that the black population is shown as mere passive victims – which is also a fair comment in my view.

However another thing to remember about this film is, I think, that it is more about emotions than the exact representations of facts. It is about the terror the KKK spread in certain areas and the hopelessness felt by the people fighting for their civil rights  and with the prejudices  -  that were much more deeply set – even after the legal changes have been achieved. It seems ridiculous to me that anyone should have ever thought segregation was a good idea (and thankfully most of the world’s population now agrees with me) but it is good to remember how bad things once were, especially since we live in a world where prejudices of all sorts are still strong. Think gay rights for example, and all the people around the world fighting for marriage equality to name but one. Yes the world still has a good distance to go as far as peace and harmony goes. But it is good to remember that we have come a good distance already. And if we can do this while enjoying a good thriller of the armchair-gripping variety, well… What more could one want, really?

UNFORGETTABLE TALES FROM THE PAST : "PLATOON"

Now, as you know, I am on a mission to watch as many of the big classic movies as fast as possible. I am, generally speaking, quite “hungry” for movies, planning ahead what I will watch the next day, constantly failing to decide… But boy oh boy did I drag my feet when it came to watching Platoon… I had never watched it before like so many of the greats but I just knew it was going to hit me like a freight train… There is, however, no earthly point in putting off the inevitable so I went for it this morning. It did not disappoint in more ways than one : It was a brilliant movie AND it hit me like a freight train…
The year is 1968 and Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a college student. Or rather he was a college student. He “wasn’t learning anything” so he actually dropped out of college and volunteered to go and fight in Vietnam. He arrives at the base camp, as green as you please and stuffed to the gills with ideals. He is full of hope and thinks that by fighting the war and doing his bit he will become a man. The constant danger, sleepless nights filled with violence and the in-fighting in his own platoon split down the middle by two rival commanders will definitely make a man of him… The question is, however, what kind of man he will end up becoming…
One of the main reasons I gave this film a wide birth was the fact that I assumed, being a war film, that it would be all blood guts and gore. First of all, let me reassure you, it isn’t. I mean, it’s the Vietnam War for Christ’s sake, naturally there is blood and guts but they do not take such prominence on the screen. What the film is mainly interested in, and what is profoundly more frightening than any amount of blood and guts, is the changes that take place in the minds and spirits of the men themselves, from the foot soldiers right up the chain the lieutenant. The film questions mankind’s seemingly endless capacity to harm one another and be cruel, and violent. It also wonders whether or not this potential is actually latent within all of us… You may point out – and rightly too – that there have been a LOT of films who have tried to capture this change in their heroes and heroines and point out the cruelty and pointlessness of war. You would, however, be hard put to find a film that captures this waste of human life, be it the fallen on the battlefield or the survivors, so deeply scarred that they can never be the same again, so well. It may have something to do with the fact that it is partly based on director Oliver Stone’s actual experiences as well… Partly, it is the outstanding cast of the film, starring veterans such as Tom Berenger, Willem Defoe and Forrest Whitaker (and as a bonus a VERY young Johnny Depp!) In any case there is definitely a reason for this film to be awarded all the Oscars® and awards it got. In view of what is going on in the world these days, I am also rather sorry to add that the sentiment it portrays is still very, VERY relevant today. Watch it. It will give you a lot to think about. Oh, and have some tissues handy, unless you are actually made of stone you will be needing them…