Deacons for Defense (2003)

What a waste of my time!!!

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Deacons for Defense is a fantastic and quiet possibly the best TV-film I've seen. Every person in the US nows the story of the Civil Rights era, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and there opposition, the Ku Klux Klan. As the peace movement spreads across the south, Bogalusa , La., the movement is lost in the Klan controlled town.As the main site for jobs, the local factory is segregated and no high positioned jobs are permitted to blacks, unless the want to die over it. Marcus Clay (Forest Whitaker) is the head of the black workers and after a close friend of his is brutally beaten by white workers competing for a job, Clay decides he has had enough. With a small band of men, Clay is able to form a small, peace keeping army to fight the Klan. As word of the deacons for defense and justice spreads, the town is thrown into madness with the destruction of the local branch of the NAACP, the brutal beating of colored school children, and all out war between the Klan and the Deacons. But as violence erupts, all Vlay now seeks to do is to end the Klan ruling the town. With the help NAACP worker Michael Deane (Jonathan Silverman), Clay must now fight the powerful Klan and try to avoid the Deacons from turning into exactly what they're fighting against, racial controllers.The film is mostly drama with violence erupting here and there with a great stand off at the end between the deacons and the Klan. The film is based on actual people and actual events that occurred in the summer of '64. The film hits many levels of dealing with equality, racism, and hate. I couldn't think of anyone better for the role of Marcus Clay then Forest Whitaker. Instead of the producers trying to get such big name actors as Will Smith or Denzel Washington, the company got little remembered Forest Whitaker. His performance is unforgettable, with the idea of fighting racism and having to keep his own men from committing senseless violence against whites.The only fault and I do say the only fault is the use of Jonathan Silverman as the NAACP worker. I felt that he was a bit to bland and not enough depth and character to him. Other than him the acting is fantastic, the story is superb, and the overall presentation is incredible.Deacons for Defense. Starring: Forest Whitaker, Jonathan Silverman, Ossie Davis, Gene Mack, and Tyrone Benskin. 4 1/2 out of 5 Stars.

while we like to think of a world where violence is not necessary, there are times when one needs to defend oneself. this film mentions an important example: how is it that a man is allowed to fight against strangers in a war on another continent, and yet not allowed to defend his own family at home? we are still not where we need to be. i can think of too many examples of racism that i, as a white man have witnessed against people of color. we should not tolerate hate. one day i hope that understanding will conquer the ignorance that is the source of all hatred. this movie is a powerful reminder that we should not tolerate injustice. we all need to defend against those who allow violence to oppress.we cannot allow the characterization of those different from us in the simplistic terms of being "less than" us. it is one thing to be proud of yourself, but as a race, as the human race, we cannot be proud of ourselves until we truly establish that one of us has no need to defend himself against another.and this message could be just as easily translated into the way we deal with the difference in culture and religion between the west and the middle east. this film shows the true price of civil rights and reminds us that we cannot tolerate ignorance wherever it rears its proud, lazy, and ugly head.

This is supposed to be a historical account, and I believe it to be just that..... so the story itself doesn't get points - I'm just glad that the story is getting out. As a viewer, I was truly moved to anger, to passion, to compassion, and finally to tears of victory over an evil that should be brought out to the light. I give the movie a score of 9 out of ten.... but I can't honestly say what I would do to improve it. The performances of every one were excellent. The children weren't cute moppets, nor were they incredibly heroic. I could relate to the feeling of 'don't rock the boat' that was the world of Marcus, and also the "Never again" battle cries once he realized that, though he is one person, every one of us can make a difference. It was entertaining and inspiring

This excellent made-for-cable movies tells the story of a group of blacks in a small mill town who form a defense group to protect themselves from the brutality of the Klan during the dawn of The 1964 Civil Rights Act. The fact-based story centers around the main character played by Forest Whitaker (who gives his best performance in years) who was arrested and beaten by racist cop for protecting his daughter from being beat during a peace demonstration that turned ugly. After that you see his character transform from a "good nigger" who thought he knew his place to a man who realized that his dignity and family were more important than "yes sah-in'" and "no sah-in'" to the racist white townfolks. There's also good turns from Ossie Davis (I don't think this man has ever given a bad performance) and Jonathan Silverman (quite surprising), but the film clearly belongs to Whitaker. A place in American history that has gotten forgotten and buried over the years. A must-see for history buffs.