Ab Snopes (Tommy Lee Jones) is a Southern tenant farmer whose unrelenting and violent nature proves to be his undoing in William Faulkner's Barn Burning. Snopes sets his employer's barn on fire when he thinks he's been treated unfairly. His son, Sarty, is horrified. Snopes escapes justice for lack of proof, but he and his family are told to move on. No sooner do they move than Snopes is offended by his new rich employer. Torn between trying to win his father's acceptance and his aversion to what his father will do, Sarty must make a decision and act quickly. Adapted by Academy Award winning screenwriter Horton Foote, Faulkner's complex world of class divisions and hostile family relationships comes to life through a boy's attempt to liberate himself from hatred and poverty.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Tommy Lee JonesAb Snopes | Ab Snopes |
| DDiane KaganMother | Mother |
| SShawn WhittingtonSarty Snopes | Sarty Snopes |
 Carolyn CoatesAunt | Aunt |
| MMichael RineyBrother | Brother |
| JJennie HughesLena Snopes | Lena Snopes |
| JJulie Kaye FantonDonna Mae Snopes | Donna Mae Snopes |
| AAl ScottJudge | Judge |
| TTom RoyalsHarris | Harris |
| JJimmy FaulknerMajor DeSpain | Major DeSpain |
| JJean PettigrewMrs. DeSpain | Mrs. DeSpain |
| TThomas Hal PhillipsJustice | Justice |
| JJames FranksBlacksmith | Blacksmith |
| SSimpson HemphillStranger | Stranger |
 Henry FondaSelf - Series Host (uncredited) | Self - Series Host (uncredited) |