The Best of Enemies

Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell, Wes Bentley, Anne Heche, John Gallagher Jr., Babou Ceesay

Director: Robin Bissell

Following a fire that forced the shut down of an all African American elementary school, the town of Durham, North Carolina faces a crisis. Either integrate the currently white school or force the children to continue to attending their own school in unsafe conditions. Leading the fight for integration is local activist Ann Atwater (Taraji P. Henson). What should be an easy choice to desegregate is met with much opposition, led by Grand Cyclops of the Klu Klux Klan, C.P. Ellis (Sam Rockwell) and his right hand man Floyd Kelly (Wes Bentley). To help settle matters, a two week charrette is held, conducted by Bill Riddick (Babou Ceesay). The town is divided into two sides, with those in favor of integration led by Ann and those opposed led by C.P. The sides are then forced to talk in depth about the issue with respect and openness and then vote on the matter after the two weeks. This landmark civil rights case also sparked an unlikely friendship.

First things first, I don't feel like I am spoiling anything by telling you Ann and C.P. became friends. Movies like this never try to hide their crowd-pleasing intentions and the outcome should have been fairly obvious from the trailer.

What helps elevate the movie above its predictability is the rapport and chemistry between Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell. Taraji started the film a bit over the top, almost to the point of caricature. However as the film progressed, she grew into the role and more than holds her own with Rockwell, who at this point can play this type of role in his sleep. To his credit, he still shows up and puts in his expected fantastic performance. Despite those two being the focus of the film, I quite enjoyed Babou Ceesay's performance. His role helped ground the film, as an African American man who must remain impartial and help a town fueled by racism to stick to the rules of the charrette and come to a decision.

The story is very predictable, however, I give it points for not pandering as much as it could have. It takes the time to focus on both characters' perspectives and attempted to give some explanation as to why Rockwell's character would make the decision he did.

The movie also runs and feels long, especially once it cruises to the expected outcome. Despite this, I would have loved to have seen more scenes between C.P and his wife Mary, who is played by Anne Heche. Mary very clearly doesn't agree with the Klu Klux Klan but still loves C.P. I think seeing more of their relationship would have actually given people the most insight of all as to why C.P. would ultimately make the decision he does and I would have loved some more scenes between the two to further this assumption. It would have given the film a little more emotional impact as well, especially in a scene late in the film when Mary visits Ann.

The film is a well acted yet predictable reminder, like many films before, of where we were as a country not all that long ago and how little progress seems to have been made.

B-