Picked up both of these DVD's for 9.99 a while ago, but just got around to watching them recently.The Insider w/ R. Crowe & A. Pacino. Crowe does a great job as a nervous and terrified whistle blower who is being corted by Pacino to tell his story on 60 Minutes. Pacino, playing a 60 Minutes producer, manages to refrain from shouting for most of the picture :-) The intensity of Pacino's character helps to keep the movie moving forward w/o allowing it to get bogged down and become yet another, predictable little-man-screwed-by-the-huge-faceless-corporation flick. Both actors give solid performances, although I was more surprised by the high quality of Crowe's.
Mississippi Burning w/ G. Hackman & W. Defoe. Based on a true story about three civil rights workers who disappeared in Miss circa 1964. Hackman and Defoe play gov't officals who are sent to Miss to investigate the events surrounding the dissappearance of the three young boys. (Defoe's character is from the Justice Dept and I think Hackman's is from the FBI?) Anyway, the two men are polar opposites, both in their approach to solving this mystery and in navigating/coming to terms with Jim Crow era Miss. I thought the film did a good job of depicting the racial injustices inherent in the South (of this period) as well as the ease in which people who are raised in such an environment can become accustomed/immune to racism. The movie is not preachy or spoon-fed in its social/racial commentary. Plus its an involving murder mystery with a few twists/turns and solid acting.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Topic - Two good movies I watched this week. - PdL 20:41:04 04/26/05 (0)