Jasper, Texas (2003)

59% of users liked it
(576 ratings)

The time: June 1998. The place: The sleepy town of Jasper, TX. Three young, self-styled white supremists overpower a 49-year-old black man named James Byrd Jr., chain him to the back of their pickup, and literally drag him to death. What follows is a media firestorm, exacerbated by scores of network… More The time: June 1998. The place: The sleepy town of Jasper, TX. Three young, self-styled white supremists overpower a 49-year-old black man named James Byrd Jr., chain him to the back of their pickup, and literally drag him to death. What follows is a media firestorm, exacerbated by scores of network and cable-TV news services, the grim pronouncements of so-called pundits, and the intrusion upon Jasper of several extremist activists, ranging from members of the Ku Klux Klan to the newly formed Black Panthers. As the frenzy continues, the heretofore peaceful, if somewhat tenuous, relationship between the white and black residents of Jasper is severely strained, with echoes of past racism resounding throughout the area. In the center of the controversy are two decent, hard-working public servants: R.C. Horn, the first black mayor of Jasper, and Billy Rowles, the town's white sheriff. Also profoundly affected by the appalling murder of Byrd are the respective parents of the victim and the killers. Happily, when the dust clears, justice is done (two of the murderers are condemned to death, the third sentenced to life imprisonment), and, instead of being wrenched apart, the black and white communities of Jasper draw closer together than they have ever been. Made for cable TV, this feature-length reenactment stars Louis Gossett Jr. as Horn and Jon Voight as Rowles. Although certain liberties are taken (the actor playing Byrd is clearly much younger than his real-life counterpart and the Black Panthers and KKK are incorrectly shown descending upon Jasper the same day), the film is, by and large, accurate. Better still, there is a minimum of preaching and proselytizing. Previewed at the Philadelphia Film Festival, Jasper, Texas was given its official Showtime network cable premiere on June 8, 2003 -- almost five years to the day after Byrd's death. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: Jeff Byrd
Written By: Jonathan Estrin
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jun 8, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Feb 3, 2004

Critic Reviews

Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
Rowles and Horn are the glue that hold Jasper together and the two fine performances from Voight and Gossett are the central core to the movie as well.
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
Deliberative but powerful.
Eva Hunter, culturevulture.net
Believable, well-paced and thought-provoking.

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Cast

            Jon Voight as Billy Rowles

            Louis Gossett Jr as R.C. Horn

            Joe Morton as Walter Diggles

            Emily Yancy as Stella Byrd

            Bokeem Woodbine as Khalid X

            Blu Mankuma as James Byrd Sr.

            Roy T. Anderson as James Byrd Jr.

            Karen Robinson as Mary Horn

            Michelle Moffatt as Mamie Horn

            Demore Barnes as Ricky Horn

            Ron White as Guy James Gray

            Eugene Clark as Don Clark

            Dvora Kedar as Rev. Bobby Gaines

            Jim Millington as Ron Foshage

            Cherion Drakes as Claire Byrd

            Kevin Hanchard as Thurman Byrd

            J.D. Nicholsen as Mike Lout

            William Taylor as Rev. Lyons

            Victoria Snow as Nancy Nicholson

            Toby Proctor as Shawn Berry

            Michael McLachlan as Bill King

            Jeff Topping as Russell Brewer

            Aaryn Doyle as Small Black Girl

            Andre Mayers as Sgt. Carter

            Marium Carvell as Gloria Mays

            Wayne "Crescendo" Ward as Charlie

            Philip Shepherd as Frank

            Travis Davis as Black Young Man

            Deborah Odell as Woman Reporter

            David Eisner as Mike Bradford

            Samantha Bee as Kathy

            Dave Nichols as Reporter

            Rahnuma Panthaky as Reporter

            Kate Trotter as Jamie Rowles

            Michael Millar as Charlie Nicholson

            Ray Kahnert as State Police Captain

            Gary Hudson as Sonny Cribbs

            Kate Henning as White Mother

            Bill Lake as Council Member #1

            Michael Copeman as Council Member #2

            Neil Crone as Bo

            Martin Doyle as Mr. Powell

            Dean McKenzie as Mr. Nelson

            Eric Peterson as Old Mr. King

            Richard Mills as Jury Foreman

            Charles W. Gray as Black Citizen

            Holly Lewis as Michelle Chapman

            Michael Ferguson as William Hoover

            Leah Cudmore as Brandi Eggleson

            Conrad Bergschneider as Moe Johnson

            Chris Marren as Klan Leger

            Ron Payne as Old Sour Man

            Jim Bearden as Old Sour Man

            John Bayliss as City Manager

            Addison Bell as Judge

            J.J. Hewitt as Young Black Man

            Sandra Caldwell as Nora

            Craig Eldridge as Dr. Brown
See full cast