Ghosts of Mississippi sees Virginia Madsen head back into Biopic country with a film based upon the trial of Byron De La Beckwith, a white supremacist who in 1963 was accused of assassinating Medgar Evans, a racial equality civil rights activist in Mississippi.
Bryon was tried twice for the murder in the 1960s, but each time the (all white) jury was hung and no action was taken. Ghosts of Mississippi tells the story of how 25 years later Medgar’s widow was finally able to get some justice.
The film starts with an overview of the events in the 1960s before fast- forwarding to 1989 where we find DA Bobby DeLaughter (Alec Baldwin) reopening the case after some new evidence comes to light. DeLaughter was a man of personal pride and the idea that an injustice had been served and never corrected didn’t sit right with him.
But reopening the case would not be a popular move as reopening the case brought back all the racial tensions from the original days and folks liked things the way they were at the moment. Never the less.Bobby follows his sense of right and wrong and perseveres through it all to make sure justice is served, even if it is a little too late.
It’s another film where you know what you’re getting before you even start to watch it. If you like the legal drama kind of film then this isn’t something you’ve not seen before. That isn’t to make light of the subject, especially given the nature of it – But it’s all very formulaic in its presentation.
Virginia Madsen plays the part of Dixie DeLaughter, Bobby’s wife, or she was when the trial first started. Unfortunately Dixie wasn’t quite as enlightened as Bobby and she believed all the racist rhetoric around the case. This would ultimately cause the marriage to fail and they would divorce before the end of the trial.
She is, however, excellent in the role, but unfortunately we don’t get to see that much of her. Or, fortunately given the character she’s playing is utterly detestable in this one.
The rest of the movie. Not so much. I don’t know if it’s aged badly but it never really felt like I was watching a “cinema” movie, it wouldn’t have surprised me to find that it had been made for TV. Bit odd like that given the calibre of the cast. No that I have anything against made for TV Biopics, A Murderous Affair I enjoy, and Just Ask My Children is some of Virginia Madsens finest work in my opinion.
James Woods plays Byron De La Beckwith in fine style, he easily steals the movie from everyone else. Whoopi Goldberg plays Myrlie Evans, the widow of Medgar. She also does well but this almost goes without saying in this kind of role. I get the feeling she could have done this in her sleep.
It’s worth a watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon, don’t expect too much and you’ll be fine. Perhaps that’s where it always belonged.
Availability:
Not the easiest film to find on DVD. but if you keep a good solid pair of eyes out then you should be able to find a copy.
Trailer:
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