Ghosts of Mississippi
2/4
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, James Woods, Susanna Thompson, Craig T. Nelson, William H. Macy
Rated PG-13 for A Strong Scene of Violence and for Racial Dialogue
I just finished "Mississippi Blood" the other day. It's the concluding novel of the "Natchez Burning" trilogy by Greg Iles, featuring his upstanding and determined protagonist Penn Cage. Let me tell you: those books have spoiled me rotten. Those books are so powerfully told, so well thought out and so packed with drama and suspense that a movie like "Ghosts of Mississippi" can't measure up. While it's unreasonable to expect even a filmmaker of Rob Reiner's talents to pack in as much plot and character development into a 2 hour movie as Greg Iles is in one of his novels (each book is 800-odd pages with nary a wasted word), it makes you wonder why this movie contains none of the same power despite the fact that it is based on a true story.
On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers was returning home from work when white supremacist Byron de la Beckwith (Woods) gunned him down in his driveway. "Delay" was charged with the murder twice but each trial resulted in a hung jury. His widow Myrlie (Goldberg) has held onto the hope that her husband's murderer will be brought to justice. Now an assistant district attorney named Bobby DeLaughter (Baldwin) is willing to see if he can put de la Beckwith behind bars once and for all.
Director Rob Reiner is so desperate to make a crowd pleaser that he has lost sight of his subject. The characters are one-dimensional, the story is poorly told, and the manipulation at times borders on shameless. A movie that deals with such serious subject matter has to be handled with more respect. It should haven't to rely on formula, overacting and swelling orchestras to get the right emotional impact. Reiner doesn't even bother to tell us who Medgar Evers was. Apart from a line or two about his work, there's nothing.
The performances do not help matters. Alec Baldwin is a fine actor, but he is sorely miscast as the idealistic lawyer. This Baldwin does best playing cold, ruthless individuals, so to have him play a Jimmy Stewart-type is a mistake. He can't do it. The only scenes were he comes alive are the courtroom scenes. Whoopi Goldberg does what she can, but her role is thinly written. She's mainly there to be hopeful or cynical as the plot requires. James Woods is way over the top as de la Beckwith. Woods has played a number of nasty individuals, but his portrayal is so cartoonish that the fact he was nominated for an Oscar is astonishing. Only Susanna Thompson as Bobby's girlfriend feels real.
"Ghosts of Mississippi" isn't a terrible movie by any means. It's rarely boring and has a certain entertainment value. One thing I did like is to show that even after 30 years, the deep racial wounds have not healed. This material is dealt with in an honest way, although it is a small detail. But the whole thing feels like a made-for-TV movie. Bobby DeLaughter is never a believable character and his character arc is poorly told and artificial. Myrlie Evers is an assortment of clichés rather than a fully realized woman. And Byron de la Beckwith is such a vile monster that one wonders where is twirling mustache is.
Skip it.
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, James Woods, Susanna Thompson, Craig T. Nelson, William H. Macy
Rated PG-13 for A Strong Scene of Violence and for Racial Dialogue
I just finished "Mississippi Blood" the other day. It's the concluding novel of the "Natchez Burning" trilogy by Greg Iles, featuring his upstanding and determined protagonist Penn Cage. Let me tell you: those books have spoiled me rotten. Those books are so powerfully told, so well thought out and so packed with drama and suspense that a movie like "Ghosts of Mississippi" can't measure up. While it's unreasonable to expect even a filmmaker of Rob Reiner's talents to pack in as much plot and character development into a 2 hour movie as Greg Iles is in one of his novels (each book is 800-odd pages with nary a wasted word), it makes you wonder why this movie contains none of the same power despite the fact that it is based on a true story.
On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers was returning home from work when white supremacist Byron de la Beckwith (Woods) gunned him down in his driveway. "Delay" was charged with the murder twice but each trial resulted in a hung jury. His widow Myrlie (Goldberg) has held onto the hope that her husband's murderer will be brought to justice. Now an assistant district attorney named Bobby DeLaughter (Baldwin) is willing to see if he can put de la Beckwith behind bars once and for all.
Director Rob Reiner is so desperate to make a crowd pleaser that he has lost sight of his subject. The characters are one-dimensional, the story is poorly told, and the manipulation at times borders on shameless. A movie that deals with such serious subject matter has to be handled with more respect. It should haven't to rely on formula, overacting and swelling orchestras to get the right emotional impact. Reiner doesn't even bother to tell us who Medgar Evers was. Apart from a line or two about his work, there's nothing.
The performances do not help matters. Alec Baldwin is a fine actor, but he is sorely miscast as the idealistic lawyer. This Baldwin does best playing cold, ruthless individuals, so to have him play a Jimmy Stewart-type is a mistake. He can't do it. The only scenes were he comes alive are the courtroom scenes. Whoopi Goldberg does what she can, but her role is thinly written. She's mainly there to be hopeful or cynical as the plot requires. James Woods is way over the top as de la Beckwith. Woods has played a number of nasty individuals, but his portrayal is so cartoonish that the fact he was nominated for an Oscar is astonishing. Only Susanna Thompson as Bobby's girlfriend feels real.
"Ghosts of Mississippi" isn't a terrible movie by any means. It's rarely boring and has a certain entertainment value. One thing I did like is to show that even after 30 years, the deep racial wounds have not healed. This material is dealt with in an honest way, although it is a small detail. But the whole thing feels like a made-for-TV movie. Bobby DeLaughter is never a believable character and his character arc is poorly told and artificial. Myrlie Evers is an assortment of clichés rather than a fully realized woman. And Byron de la Beckwith is such a vile monster that one wonders where is twirling mustache is.
Skip it.
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