Highest-Rated Movies about 'American South'

The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987), Deep Blues (1991), Neshoba: The Price of Freedom (2008), Rosewood (1997), The Green Mile (1999), The Client List (2010), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Raggedy Man (1981) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best American South movies.

#1. The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987)

Storyline: Jobless and desperate, World War I veteran Robert Eliot Burns (Val Kilmer) is arrested for theft and sentenced to work on a prison chain gang. Eager to get away from brutal Warden Hardy (Charles Durning), Burns busts out of jail. Suddenly free, he woos foxy stranger Emily Del Pino Pacheco (Sonia Braga). Soon, though, the romance sours, and, without cover from Emily, Burns is left with nowhere to hide. To his dismay, he might just find himself making a return journey to Hardy's chain gang.

Plot Keywords: biography, drama, crime, history, prison, true story, social injustice ...

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#2. Deep Blues (1991)

Storyline: While some successful blues acts sell out arenas and tour around the world, many of the best blues artists remain relatively unknown, playing in small clubs or, in some cases, just in their own yards. Filmmaker Robert Mugge and music scholar Robert Palmer take an enthusiastic look at these lesser-known blues artists, showcasing incredible music from talented players who have never been signed to major labels and generally have not received the recognition they have deserved.

Plot Keywords: music documentary, american south, oral history, social margins, music history, music interviews, music exploration ...

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#3. Neshoba: The Price of Freedom (2008)

Storyline: In 1964, three civil rights activists go missing in Mississippi. The bodies of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner are found months later, and the three Klansman accused of murdering them are put on trial. All three are found not guilty, including Edgar Ray Killen who openly flaunts his involvement in the killings for years after the trial. Interviews with local community members and the victim's families highlight the ongoing effort to bring Killen to trial a second time.

Plot Keywords: documentary, civil rights, murder, racism, 1960s, justice, cold case ...

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#4. Rosewood (1997)

Storyline: Rosewood, Florida, is a small, peaceful town with an almost entirely African-American population of middle-class homeowners, until New Year's Day 1923, when a lynch mob from a neighboring white community storms the town. Among the carnage, music teacher Sylvester (Don Cheadle) and mysterious stranger Mann (Ving Rhames) stand tall against the invaders, while white grocer John (Jon Voight) attempts to save the town's women and children. The film is based on a true story.

Plot Keywords: history, racial discrimination, violence, true story, american south, african american, race relations ...

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#7. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Storyline: Small-town Alabama, 1932. Atticus Finch (played by Gregory Peck) is a lawyer and a widower. He has two young children, Jem and Scout. Atticus Finch is currently defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Meanwhile, Jem and Scout are intrigued by their neighbours, the Radleys, and the mysterious, seldom-seen Boo Radley in particular.

Plot Keywords: racial discrimination, justice, law, coming of age, morality, prejudice, american south ...

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#8. Raggedy Man (1981)

Storyline: While World War II rages overseas, a divorced mother of two, Nita Longley (Sissy Spacek), struggles to makes ends meet as a telephone operator in small-town Texas. As the subject of disdainful gossip due to her divorce, Nita faces a lonely existence of ostracism, where only the unscrupulous approach her -- often with ill intent. When she befriends Teddy (Eric Roberts), a sailor on leave, her situation improves, but he's soon sent to war. Once again, Nita must face her plight alone.

Plot Keywords: drama, romance, historical, war, american, female lead, world war ii ...

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#9. The Vernon Johns Story (1994)

Storyline: This biopic follows the life of Vernon Johns (James Earl Jones) -- now known as the father of the civil rights movement -- during the years he preceded Martin Luther King Jr. as minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Johns champions the cause of desegregation, clashing with local white authorities; the more cautious members of his own church; his wife (Mary Alice), who fears he'll lose his pulpit; and his children, who fear he will lose his life.

Plot Keywords: biography, history, drama, race, civil rights, religion, pastor ...

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#10. Green Book (2018)

Storyline: In 1962, Tony "Tony Lip" Vallelonga, a tough bouncer, is looking for work when his nightclub is closed for renovations. The most promising offer turns out to be the driver for the African-American classical pianist Don Shirley for a concert tour into the Deep South states. Although hardly enthused at working for a black man, Tony accepts the job and they begin their trek armed with The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide for safe travel through America's racial segregation. Together, the snobbishly erudite pianist and the crudely practical bouncer can barely get along with their clashing attitudes to life and ideals. However, as the disparate pair witness and endure America's appalling injustices on the road, they find a newfound respect for each other's talents and start to face them together. In doing so, they would nurture a friendship and understanding that would change both their lives.

Plot Keywords: racial discrimination, friendship, road trip, cultural conflict, music, pianist, bodyguard ...

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#11. John Grisham's The Rainmaker (1997)

Storyline: Struggling new attorney Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) resorts to working for a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke), where he meets paralegal Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito). When the insurance company of Dot Black (Mary Kay Place) refuses her dying son coverage, Baylor and Shifflet team up to fight the corrupt corporation, taking on its callous lawyer (Jon Voight). Meanwhile, Baylor becomes involved with Kelly Riker (Claire Danes), an abused wife, whose husband complicates matters when he confronts Baylor.

Plot Keywords: legal, drama, courtroom, lawyer, insurance fraud, moral dilemma, justice ...

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#12. Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Storyline: Luke Jackson is a cool, gutsy prisoner in a Southern chain gang, who, while refusing to buckle under to authority, keeps escaping and being recaptured. The prisoners admire Luke because, as Dragline explains it, "You're an original, that's what you are!" Nevertheless, the camp staff actively works to crush Luke until he finally breaks.

Plot Keywords: prison, rebellion, american south, classic, paul newman, 1960s, escape ...

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#14. Nothing But a Man (1964)

Storyline: Born in Birmingham, Duff Anderson, the father of a male toddler, who lives with a nanny, re-locates to a small town to work on the railroad. He meets with and is attracted to Josie much to the chagrin of her preacher father. The marriage does take place nevertheless, both re-locate to live in their own house and he gets a job in a mill. He decides not to bring his son to live with them. Challenges arise when the Mill Foreman finds out that Duff is attempting to unionize the workers, forcing Duff to quit, and look for work elsewhere. Unable to reconcile himself to working on a daily wage of $2.50 picking cotton nor even as a waiter, he gets a job at a garage. He is enraged at a customer for belittling him and Josie, and is let go. Unemployed, unable to support his wife and son, he gets abusive and leaves - perhaps never to return.—rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

Plot Keywords: race relations, american south, social injustice, working class, marriage, family, discrimination ...

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#15. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Storyline: The family of "Big Daddy" Pollitt convenes at his and Big Momma's. Among the attendees is alcoholic son, Brick; an ex-football player, who spends his time drinking and avoiding the ministries of his libidinous wife, Maggie - 'the cat'. As this gathering isn't so much as a gathering but a farewell (Big Daddy is terminally ill) a lot of memories and revelations which had been hidden come to the surface of both father and son.

Plot Keywords: drama, family, marriage, romance, desire, inheritance, deception ...

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