British director Alan Parker always favours a sledgehammer to crack a nut and a lingering moment of agony rather than just the hint of violence. This horrifying study of racial violence allows him free rein to indulge in both practices. But not even his countless shots of burning crosses and frequent lynchings can detract from two powerful central performances from Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman as FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights activists. Hackman should have won an Oscar for his portrait of a man who feels powerless to act to change things in America's Deep South but who knows how to wheedle information out of the locals. Frances McDormand also gives a standout performance as the wife of the local sheriff, who finds herself attracted to Hackman with terrifying consequences for herself. Peter Biziou's fabulous photography was a worthy Oscar winner.