The Best of Enemies is a 2019 American drama film directed and written by Robin Bissell in his feature debut.

It is based on the book The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson, which focuses on the rivalry between civil rights activist Ann Atwater and Ku Klux Klan leader C. P. Ellis.

The film stars Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell, Babou Ceesay, Anne Heche, Wes Bentley, Bruce McGill, John Gallagher Jr., and Nick Searcy.

In 1971 in Durham, North Carolina, Ann Atwater tries to get better housing conditions for poor black people, and is ignored by the all-white judge panel.

Bill Riddick sets up a meeting with them both, to arrange charrettes to discuss segregation and other issues.

They agree to pick some people randomly from the group to vote on the issues at the end of the meeting sessions.

A black reverend asks Bill if he can play gospel music at the end of each session.

refuses, saying that if the Black people want to sing gospel music at the charrette, he should be allowed to put out his KKK items on display.

Bill insists Black and White people in their group sit next to each other in the cafeteria as they eat.

Bill takes Ann, C.P., and the rest of their group to visit the black school that was burned.

In June 2015, it was announced that Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell would star in a civil rights drama, an adaptation of Osha Gray Davidson's history The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South.

[4] In July 2018, STX Entertainment acquired the film's domestic distribution rights.

[5] Producers on the film were Danny Strong, Fred Bernstein, Matt Berenson, Bissell, Dominique Telson, and Material Pictures' Tobey Maguire and Matthew Plouffe.

The website's critical consensus reads, "The Best of Enemies has the best of intentions, but they're derailed by a problematic perspective and a disappointing lack of insight.

"[12] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 49 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".