Willem Dafoe: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

3. Agent Alan Ward - Mississippi Burning (1988)

Both of the performances we've covered so far have seen Dafoe dominating proceedings - at least for the scenes in which he features. But he's just as capable of playing second fiddle, holding his own against some of the best in the business. When he was paired with the legendary Gene Hackman (who had worked with Friedkin on The French Connection), it was expected that the Oscar-winning Hollywood stalwart would be the dominant force. But Dafoe holds his own throughout Mississippi Burning, which remains a very underrated period thriller. Mississippi Burning is directed by Alan Parker, whose filmography ranges from the child-friendly silliness of Bugsy Malone to the avant-garde psychosis of Pink Floyd - The Wall and the lurid, eerie intrigue of Angel Heart. Based on real-life events, the film is set in 1964 and follows two FBI agents who are sent to investigate the murders of three civil rights activists in the fictional Jessup County, Mississippi. The relationship between the agents steadily deteriorates as they wade deeper into the murky racial politics of the county, eventually finding the truth by infiltrating and duping the local branch of the Ku Klux Klan. Mississippi Burning is a very powerful drama-thriller, marrying Parker's gripping and unsettling visuals to political and moral questions which still resonate in American society. While Hackman remains a powerful and compelling screen presence, Dafoe gives as good as he gets as the more direct, morally black-and-white agent increasingly overwhelmed by the situation. It's a performance of great nervous energy and repression, reflecting the character's desire for order in the face of growing chaos. Dafoe shrinks into the role every bit as much as Russell Crowe in The Insider, resulting in a very fine performance.