The ultimately remarkable aftermath of the Evers' tragedy is the first real life subject Reiner has tackled. Sadly, in attempting to treat it with due gravity and dignity, a cautious Reiner falls dramatically very flat. It's his least cinematic film to date.
Alec Baldwin, earnest, but not quite fathomable, plays Bobby DeLaughter, the assistant district attorney who re-opened the case in 1989. Portrayed as a New South guilty liberal, DeLaughter defies Old South family, heritage, intimidation and indifference in his five year quest for judicial and personal atonement. Goldberg, subdued and actually seldom on screen, plays Evers' widow Myrlie, understandably sceptical her campaign for justice will ever end.
A solid supporting cast includes Virginia Madsen, William H. Macy and Diane Ladd, but unsurprisingly it is James Woods, latexed into old age and Oscar-nominated for his impersonation of Foghorn Leghorn, who grabs attention as De La Beckwith, the cocky, stereotypical "good ol' boy" bigot who simply can't believe he'll ever face the music when he is finally brought to trial again in 1994.