History Film / MississippiBurning

* GroinAttack: Anderson inflicts one on a Klansman.

* DirtyCop: The Mississippi police always turns a blind eye on the Klan's terrorist tattic. Some of the agents are even part of it.

* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: During an attack at a black family's house, the Klan's members also burns down the barns causing the animals inside to be burned alive. Frank Bailey also mentions that killing black people "wouldn't give it no more thought than wringing a cat's neck" impying that he could also be an animal abuser.

* [[spoiler: Mayor Pain: Mayor Tilman who covers up all the Klan's crimes and is racist like the rest of the villains.]]

* DirtyCoward: Pell. The entire film, he makes vague threats, insinuations about how he's untouchable, and basically is a rude, obstructive asshat to everyone who comes into town, especially regarding the case of the missing three civil rights activists. Never once, in the entire film, does he ever show a spine. The moment it becomes clear that someone has the guts to stand up to him, and his boss [[spoiler:and the Klan]] isn't around to protect him, he folds in on himself like a paper bag in the rain. To say nothing of [[spoiler:the beatdown he gets from Anderson, who made it clear he'd cut his throat with a razor blade if he felt it was necessary.]] Many of the other Klansmen are also like this.

* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: During an attack at a black family's house, the Klan's members also burns down the barns causing the animals inside to die burned alive. Frank Bailey also mentions that killing black people "wouldn't give it no more thought than wringing a cat's neck" impying that he could also be an animal abuser.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: After Anderson sings the Klan song to Ward (see VillainSong below), Ward says he's not laughing because he doesn't share Anderson's sense of humor. However, when Anderson tells him a joke a little later - "What has four eyes and can't see? Mississippi." - Ward does laugh.
* AnswerCut: After just another Klan raid on the black community, Ward is desperate and asks Anderson what he would do. The latter smiles. Cut to the next scene of an arranged meeting with the black boy who successfully persuades his friend into helping identify the culprits.

%%* TheSixties

* WouldHitAGirl: [[spoiler:Deputy Pell beats up his wife when he finds out that she has helped the FBI.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: A Klansman (possibly Frank Bailey) shows no remorse in kicking Aaron down while threatening to kill him if he talks to the FBI again. And ''this'' was after Aaron was loudly praying to God for forgiveness. It shows just how evil these racists are.

* TotallyNotACriminalFront: Anderson discovers a hangout where some local men are drinking beer. When he orders one, the crooked sheriff's deputy tells him, "You have to be a member to drink here." The FBI agent asks, "A member o' ''what''?" The deputy replies "The social club," but it's obvious to everyone (including the audience) that he really means the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan.

* TotallyNotACriminalFront?from=Main.LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Anderson discovers a hangout where some local men are drinking beer. When he orders one, the crooked sheriff's deputy tells him, "You have to be a member to drink here." The FBI agent asks, "A member o' ''what''?" The deputy replies "The social club," but it's obvious to everyone (including the audience) that he really means the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan.

* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Anderson discovers a hangout where some local men are drinking beer. When he orders one, the crooked sheriff's deputy tells him, "You have to be a member to drink here." The FBI agent asks, "A member o' ''what''?" The deputy replies "The social club," but it's obvious to everyone (including the audience) that he really means the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan.

-->'''Mrs. Pell''': It's ugly. This whole thing is so ugly. Have you any idea what it's like to live with all this? People look at us and only see bigots and racists. Hatred isn't something you're born with. It gets taught. At school, they said segregation what's said in the Bible... Genesis 9, Verse 27. At 7 years of age, you get told it enough times, you believe it. You believe the hatred. You live it... you breathe it. You marry it.

* WouldHurtAChild: A Klansman (possibly Frank Bailey) shows no remorse in kicking Aaron down while threatening to kill him if he's talks to the FBI again. And ''this'' was after Aaron was loudly praying to god for forgiveness. It shows just how evil these racists are.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Sheriff Stuckey manages to be acquitted in Federal Court in the conviction montage at the end of the movie. And none of the others get more than ten years in prison.]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mississippi_burning.png]]

* DangerouslyCloseShave: The FBI agent played by Gene Hackman intimidates Clinton Pell - a local sheriff and member of TheKlan - who was getting a shave by replacing the barber.

* DangerouslyCloseShave: The FBI agent played by Gene Hackman intimidates a member of TheKlan who was getting a shave by replacing the barber.

* DirtyCoward: Deputy Clinton Pell. The entire film, he makes vague threats, insinuations about how he's untouchable, and basically is a rude, obstructive asshat to everyone who comes into town, especially regarding the case of the missing three civil rights activists. Never once, in the entire film, does he ever show a spine. The moment it becomes clear that someone has the guts to stand up to him, and his boss [[spoiler:and the Klan]] isn't around to protect him, he folds in on himself like a paper bag in the rain. To say nothing of [[spoiler:the beatdown he gets from Anderson, who made it clear he'd cut his throat with a razor blade if he felt it was necessary.]] Many of the other Klansmen are also like this.

* DeepSouth: The film is set in Mississippi and tackles racism and {{Corrupt Hick}}s.

%%* CorruptHick

** [[CIAEvilFBIGood FBI agents as heroes]] to the Civil Rights Movement. As most historians know, J. Edgar Hoover was no fan of the movement in RealLife and the agency in fact took several notable measures to undermine and sabotage the movement (although individual agents as depicted here, of course, may have had differing views on the situation). On the other hand, the FBI would end up disrupting the Klan and its operations with its COINTELPRO program, but that was something that took place shortly after the murders in Mississippi. Upon its release, Coretta Scott King and the NAACP condemned the film for this reason.

* LetMeTellYouAStory: The ScaryBlackMan intimidates the kidnapped mayor by telling him a story about the violent castration of a fellow black man by white supremacists. And then he makes moves to perform the same action on the mayor, which [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique gets him to talk]].