It took thirty years. Thirty years for a killer to finally face a jury that wouldn’t let him walk. When Rob Reiner brought the Ghosts of Mississippi film to theaters in late 1996, he wasn't just making another legal thriller; he was poking at a scab that hadn't quite healed in the American South. Honestly, if you watch it today, the movie feels less like a period piece and more like a visceral reminder of how slow the wheels of justice actually turn.
The movie centers on the 1994 conviction of Byron De La Beckwith. He was the white supremacist who murdered civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963. For decades, Beckwith lived as a free man in Tennessee, despite the fact that everyone basically knew what he’d done. Two previous trials in the sixties ended in hung juries. It stayed that way until Bobby DeLaughter, an assistant district attorney, decided to reopen the case.
What Ghosts of Mississippi film Gets Right About the Evers Legacy
Hollywood loves a "white savior" narrative, and this film has often been criticized for leaning too hard into Bobby DeLaughter’s perspective. It’s a fair point. But what the Ghosts of Mississippi film genuinely nails is the crushing weight of the Evers family's persistence. Whoopi Goldberg plays Myrlie Evers-Williams with this incredible, quiet steeliness. She doesn't have to scream to show you her pain. You see it in the way she holds her posture.
The real-life Myrlie Evers was actually a consultant on the film. That matters. It’s why the recreation of the Evers home in Jackson feels so hauntingly accurate. They actually filmed at the real house where the assassination took place. Think about that for a second. The actors were walking the same driveway where Medgar was shot while his children were inside. James Woods, who played Beckwith, supposedly felt so much tension on set that it bled into his performance—which earned him an Oscar nomination, by the way.
Beckwith was a monster, plain and simple. Woods plays him with this terrifying, grandmother-hugging charm that masks a bottomless pit of hate. It’s uncomfortable to watch. It should be.
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The Gritty Details of the 1994 Trial
The movie spends a lot of time on the "lost" evidence. In real life, the murder weapon—an Enfield 1917 .30-06 rifle—had gone missing from the state's evidence lockers. DeLaughter actually found it in his father-in-law’s house. No joke. His father-in-law was a former judge who had kept it as a "souvenir." That sounds like a crazy Hollywood invention, but it’s 100% factual.
The Ghosts of Mississippi film captures that specific brand of Southern Gothic bureaucracy. It’s the yellowing transcripts, the missing files, and the "good old boy" network that hoped everyone would just forget.
But DeLaughter couldn't forget. Alec Baldwin plays him as a man caught between his heritage and his conscience. While the film focuses on the 1990s, the "ghosts" are the men from 1963 who thought they’d gotten away with it. When the jury—a diverse jury this time—finally reads the "guilty" verdict, it doesn't feel like a celebration. It feels like a long-overdue exhale.
The Backlash and the Box Office
Let’s be real: the movie wasn't a massive hit. It pulled in about $13 million against a $36 million budget. Why? Maybe people weren't ready to look at that mirror yet. Or maybe, coming just a few years after JFK and A Time to Kill, audiences were hitting "courtroom drama fatigue."
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Critics like Roger Ebert were kind of split on it. Ebert gave it two stars, mostly because he felt the movie focused too much on the white lawyer and not enough on the Black family who actually suffered. He wasn't wrong. If the Ghosts of Mississippi film were made in 2026, the camera would almost certainly stay fixed on Myrlie Evers. But for 1996, it was a major studio’s attempt to reckon with a specific, shameful chapter of American history.
Interesting Facts You Probably Missed
- The film features several real-life figures playing themselves. Medgar and Myrlie's sons, Darrell and James Van Evers, actually appear in the movie.
- Detective Jerry Mitchell, the journalist who did the real-world legwork to help reopen the case, is a major unsung hero of this story. While the movie streamlines things for Alec Baldwin’s character, Mitchell’s reporting for The Clarion-Ledger was the actual catalyst.
- The courtroom used in the movie is the actual Hinds County Courthouse where the trial happened.
Mississippi has a complicated relationship with its past. The film doesn't shy away from the fact that many people in Jackson didn't want this case reopened. They thought it would "stir up trouble." But as Myrlie Evers famously said, you can't have reconciliation without the truth.
Why You Should Re-watch It Now
Watching the Ghosts of Mississippi film today feels different. We live in an era of "true crime" obsession, but this isn't entertainment. It’s a procedural about the death of a hero. It shows how racism isn't always a guy in a hood; sometimes it’s a clerk "losing" a file or a community deciding that peace is more important than justice.
The cinematography by John Seale (who did Mad Max: Fury Road, believe it or not) gives the South a heavy, humid look. You can almost feel the sweat on the characters' collars. It’s a slow burn. It doesn’t rely on car chases. It relies on the power of a transcript and the courage of a widow who refused to go away.
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Moving Beyond the Screen
If the Ghosts of Mississippi film sparks an interest in the actual history, there are better ways to dive deep than just re-watching the DVD.
- Read "Never Too Late" by Bobby DeLaughter. It’s his first-hand account of the trial. It’s much more detailed than the movie and shows the internal politics of the DA's office.
- Visit the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. It’s in Jackson, Mississippi. Standing on that driveway is a completely different experience than seeing it on a screen.
- Look up the work of Jerry Mitchell. His book Race Against Time covers how he helped bring several civil rights era killers to justice decades later, including those responsible for the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
The Ghosts of Mississippi film serves as a gateway. It’s not the whole story—no two-hour movie could be—but it’s a necessary one. It reminds us that "case closed" doesn't always mean justice was served. Sometimes, you have to go back and dig up the ghosts to finally lay them to rest.
Actionable Insights for History and Film Buffs:
To truly understand the impact of the events depicted in the Ghosts of Mississippi film, start by researching the Sovereignty Commission. This was a state-funded spy agency in Mississippi that worked to preserve segregation and actually tampered with the juries in the first two Beckwith trials. Understanding their role makes the eventual 1994 conviction seem even more miraculous. Additionally, compare the film's portrayal with the 1991 documentary The Murder of Medgar Evers for a more unfiltered look at the evidence and the witnesses who risked their lives to testify. For those interested in the legal mechanics, reviewing the 1994 Mississippi Supreme Court ruling on the "speedy trial" challenge brought by Beckwith’s lawyers provides a fascinating look at how the state justified a trial occurring 30 years after the crime.