Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)

Falls flat of its initial promise...

The biggest problem with `Ghosts of Mississippi' is that it is bland. The story is not technically a bland one, I mean it is a true story of the murder of a civil rights activist and the trial that brought a terrible man to justice, but the way Reiner goes about delivering this story is anything but exciting. The acting is decent, and at times engaging, but for the most part they are merely passable and do nothing for the film in general.

I really wanted to like this movie.

The film opens with the devastating murder of Medger Evers, a young husband and father of three who was a civil rights leader in Mississippi. In 1963 his life was snuffed out by outraged racist Byron De La Beckwith. Due to a racist judge and a racists jury Byron was found `not guilty' Medger's widow Myrlie tried for thirty years to get justice for her husband but to no avail; and then Bobby DeLaughter walked into her life, or should I say that she walked into his. Moved by her story, and the similarities to his own life (he is also a husband in his thirties and father of three), DeLaughter works around the clock to reopen the case, sacrificing his own marriage and his own safety to finally do right by this scorned and broken woman.

Sounds like a real attention grabber, doesn't it.

Sadly, it's not.

One issue I have with the film is the acting. Baldwin, Goldberg, Woods; they are all capable actors but none of them really rise to the occasion as far as I am concerned. Baldwin probably does the best job, and that's mostly because he has far more screen time and so he has more opportunity to make up for his overall blandness. Woods is just plain hammy at best. He succeeds in creating a creep, but he comes of as no more than a gimmick. I was really disappointed with Goldberg, who has delivered so often in the past. She was just way too reserved here, too conservative. I felt no real emotion come from her. It all just felt like an overly rehearsed line reading. The direction doesn't help the film any either. Reiner builds no tension within the film and so it just tends to drag on. There is no excitement, no reason for us to pay attention because it feels like nothing is happening.

There is a scene where DeLaughter rushes his family outside because he fears there is a bomb in his house. This is supposed to be tense. It is not. Watch `The Insider' and notice how Michael Mann builds so much tension with a similar `rush out of the house' type scene.

There are many films that deal with this type of subject; in fact I've seen quite a few of them the past week. This is one of the worst. Watch the glorious `Mississippi Burning' or even `A Time to Kill', which was released the very same year. Both films are much more respectable and much more engaging than this wasted opportunity. It's sad, because this is as important story that deserved a better storyteller. October 21, 2008

Ghosts of Mississippi

Have always enjoyed this movie. Alex and Whoopie did a great job together telling the story.

July 14, 2008

The serious side of Whoopi

We all know and love the funny side of Whoopi. With this stellar performance Whoopi proves that The Colour Purple was not a one off. She brings the character to life with great compassion - hard to do in any story. Great to see if finally out on dvd February 23, 2008

Excellent representation of the truth!

This movie very closely represents the truth of this story. The artists did a FABULOUS job and the historical data is relatively accurate so this is a timeless treasure for my collection. To READ an accurate account, purchase Bobby DeLaughter's Book "Never Too Late". It will provide a more detailed account that can't be captured in the movie. October 25, 2007

Final closure to an important chapter in civil rights history

`Ghosts of Mississippi' is the story based on factual events of the final trial of the man who murdered civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963. He was tried twice before but both times the case ended in hung juries. It is also a portrait of enduring patience in the fact that his widow, Myrlie Evers, had to wait 30 years for final justice, all the while knowing that her husband`s assassin remained a free man.

I can't honestly think of too many movies where I have seen Alec Baldwin and Whoopi Goldberg give such impressive acting performances as compared to their work here. They both fit their roles perfectly and it shows. On the other end of the spectrum, James Woods, who also did an outstanding job, is so into his character that it is almost spooky. The way he behaves and delivers his lines just gives the impression that you're looking at total hate and evil personified in a man.

To compliment the acting, the movie moves along at a nice pace and portrays the difficulties of preparing a case that is 3 decades old along with the still unresolved issues of racism still evident in the Mississippi climate. As for the trial itself, this is also a tense atmosphere that adds realism and intrigue to the movie. If I had to make a comparison, and this being based on similar types of events, I would have to say that this film ranks up there with `Mississippi Burning' which is also an excellent movie in its own right.

`Ghosts of Mississippi' is a fine example of solid acting and directing coupled with a strong, thought provoking story. This film is very enjoyable all the way through and I recommend it to everyone.
May 10, 2007

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