Outstanding film dealing with the murder of 3 civil rights workers during the fiery civil rights struggle of the 1960s.<br /><br />Gene Hackman is absolutely marvelous as a southern FBI agent attempting to track down the cowardly killers in this absolute thriller of a motion picture. He receives fine support from Willem Dafoe. The latter plays a northern FBI agent in conflict with Hackman as no matter what the FBI attempts to do, they are thwarted every step of the way by a bigoted, disgusting town and local law enforcement officers up to their necks in corruption and murder.<br /><br />As the wife of a deputy sheriff, Frances McDormand is fabulous as an abused woman with a conscience.<br /><br />The film is terrific as it shows how the bigots attempt to justify their ways as appropriate to their religion. They can cite phrases justifying the segregation system.<br /><br />It was only after the FBI began to play hardball with this hoodlum element that something was able to be done.