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Plot

This is a long-awaited film telling the story of the trials of Medgar Evers' killer. Medger Evers (James Pickens, Jr.) was a black civil-rights activist in Mississippi who was shot to death in 1963. Despite very persuasive evidence that Byron De La Beckwith (James Woods) was indeed his killer, the all-white juries hearing his case at that time acquitted him (he was tried twice). In this film, with the aid of Ever's widow Myrlie (Whoopie Goldberg), Bobby DeLaughter (Alec Baldwin), a young lawyer, gathers enough new evidence to bring Beckwith in for a third trial. Woods' performance as a wise-cracking bigot is one of the film's highlights.
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for a strong scene of violence and for racial dialogue.
Genre(s):
Drama
Run Time:
130min.
Theatrical Release Date:
01/03/1997
DVD Release Date:
01/18/2000
Director(s):
Themes:
Social Injustice,Righting the Wronged
Tone:
Cerebral,Deliberate,Matter-of-Fact,Rousing,Talky
Keywords:
Civil-Rights,activism,assassination,bigotry,courtroom,investigation,killing,lawyer,murder,trial [courtroom],widow/widower
Language:
English