Assassinato na Louisiana

In 2005, some people in my state still want the Confederate battle flag on their state flag. Yes, racism is no longer fashionable for most people, but don't believe that it doesn't still exist - the KKK wants to adopt a highway in the northern part of the state, so they can, in my opinion, get free advertising for their "fraternal organization."

The actors in this movie have familiar faces, but rarely does one get to see this many older experienced black actors together in an ensemble where each one has their own story to share. Holly Hunter delivers a strong role as an advocate for these special men, who all say -- "I did it, I killed him." An undercurrent of humor and a continuing opportunity for the unexpected to happen keeps the plot moving. As a southerner, I cared for all these people - the women who don't want to see their husband beaten and jailed; the sheriff who, like George Wallace, tries to give the voters what they elected him for.

The tragedy for everyone is the continuing disease of racism, which is not confined just to the American South, or even to whites. Every culture tends to have their "we are special because ..." - which is important, but needs to have included Edward James Olmos' visionary statement: " First of all we are all members of the human race." A movie for viewers who want more than "shoot-em-ups" or automobiles that turn into powerful monsters, it delivers the message that not all whites are murdering bigots, but standing up for what you believe in can be liberating, and have an impact.

Visually exciting and remarkable photography and a quirkish musical background makes it easy to keep watching and wondering what will happen next.

It's a good film for its time with a long list of accomplished and recognizable actors, many in the twilight of their careers, including Woody Strode who may be best known for playing Draba in film Spartacus. And like the ending of Spartacus where all the slaves rise up and say "I am Spartacus" these actors all claim to have shot the redneck Beau. Richard Widmark's portrayal of a Cajun sheriff is a little hard to accept but at least they were smart enough not to have these actors try and use a Cajun accent.

In the Louisiana sugarcane fields, white farmer Beau Boutan is chasing a black man Charlie. Charlie seeks shelter at the home of Mathu (Louis Gossett Jr.) and Beau is shot to death. Candy Marshall (Holly Hunter) arrives to see Mathu with a shot gun. She gathers a group of black locals to defend Mathu and tries to claim the shooting for herself. Her family used to own the vast land. The local whites are mostly Cajuns who leased the land from Marshall. The group of elderly blacks start claiming the shooting for themselves. Lou Dimes (Will Patton) tries to talk Candy down. Sheriff Mapes (Richard Widmark) investigates the shooting with too many willing suspects. Beau's progressive brother Gilbert returns home from college urging caution but anger is rising.

I need the movie to start with a definitive year. The book is supposed to be set in the 70s. The lack of a date leaves me questioning whether it's 1987. The decade makes a big difference. The list of black actors is stacked. Louis Gossett Jr. isn't even the best. The best is probably Joe Seneca. The Cajun side needs better actors. They are mostly a bunch random white thugs. The story has potential but the tension is limited.

A white man has been shot in front of a black man's house in Louisiana. From the racial attitudes and the houses the blacks live in, I would have said this was from the 50s or earlier, but the police car is like the car I drove in Driver's Ed class in 1976, and a hearse is a 1965 Cadillac.

Candy owns the land where many of the blacks live, and she claims she shot the white man, while Mathu says he did it. Candy knows what is going to happen, and every elderly black man in the area who has a gun is dispatched to Mathu's place, for a showdown with the local sheriff that is reminiscent of the memorable scene from the original 'Spartacus'. They can't arrest all these men, and they can't all be guilty. Meanwhile, the dead man's relatives want their own brand of justice.

There was a lot of good acting in this movie, and so many of the characters seemed like real people, not movie characters. This was true of Candy's white relatives, the dead man's father Fix and his family, and the blacks who came to Mathu's rescue and their families. And the movie was quite funny at times. Some women didn't want their husbands doing something dangerous, but the men were determined to do their duty. Several women showed no fear whatsoever as they sat in front of Mathu's house, and they displayed an attitude that could have easily gotten them shot in the real South of the 1950s. Racial hatred had apparently mellowed somewhat by this time.

There were several deep discussions about such subjects as blacks coming home from World War II (one man wore what appeared to be his army uniform) and preservation of people's heritage.

Holly Hunter was wonderful. In one scene it was obvious from her facial expression that her character was lying. And she showed a strong determination to protect 'her' people. She had been raised by an aunt and uncle after her parents died, an experience that helped make her strong. Her relatives were determined to let her do the job without getting involved themselves. Maybe they were afraid to.

I didn't recognize Lou Gossett, but he is always good. In one scene I thought I saw him, but obviously that wasn't him, because he was Mathu.

This was really worth seeing.

The cast of "A Gathering of Old Men" is quite impressive for a made for TV movie, with Lou Gossett, Holly Hunter and Richard WIdmark, among others.

The story is set in rural Louisiana and when it begins, a nasty white guy is tracking down a black man and he intends to kill him. However, the victim manages to get a shotgun and he manages to kill the attacker. Because the local Cajuns are a very racist lot, there are fears that they'll start hanging black men...using the clearly justified killing as a justification. As for the local Sheriff (Widmark), he doesn't want any lynchings...but he is a racist and a brute to boot. As for the black community and the white landlady (Hunter), they ALL claim to have killed the guy...making it impossible to arrest anyone. How will this all end?

The film has some good acting and is interesting, albeit a bit talky. But the ending isn't great, as the fate of the killer is never really determined....just the reaction of his black neighbors. Odd...but still worth seeing.