Just Mercy

We all have seen films based on true stories and although they can cause us to think, "Just Mercy" not only causes us to think, it also comes up and wallops us in a way that reminds us how bias we can be given a 'perfect' situation. Whatever your background is culturally and socially, by the time you reach the exit door, this will stay with you long after the end credits roll.

A powerful and thought-provoking true story, this story follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan might have had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter 'Johnnie D.' McMillian (Jamie Foxx) who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal, Ralph Meyers (Tim Blake Nelson) with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings mostly from District Attorney Tommy Chapman (Rafe Spall) and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, Herbert Richardson (Rob Morgan) and others like him, with the odds--and the system--stacked against them.

Others to round out the cast are O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Anthony 'Ray' Hinton, Karan Hendrick as Minnie McMillian, Walter's wife, Darrell Britt-Gibson as Darnell Houston, Rhoda Griffis as Judge Pamela Bachab, Claire Bronson as Mrs. Chapman, Tommy's wife, Michael Harding as Sheriff Tate, Dominic Bogart as Doug Ansley, Eva's husband, C.J. LeBlanc as John McMillian, Walter's son and J. Alphonse Nicholson as Henry Davis.

This was delineated extremely carefully by director Destin Daniel Cretton ("I Am Not a Hipster" '12, "Short Term 12" '13, "The Glass Castle" '17) plus shorts and a video documentary. Whether an actor was carrying out dialogue or in a place of stillness, one could feel the emotions that were emitted. The intensity and grit simply spoke volumes, and although there were some incredibly talented actors here, this still takes a honed director to pull this off. It was amazingly well written by Cretton ("I Am Not a Hipster" '12, "Short Term 12" '13, "The Shack" '17, "The Glass Castle" '17) plus shorts and Andrew Lanham ("The Shack" '17, "The Glass Castle" '17, "The Kid" '19) based on the book by Bryan Stevenson. Usually when a screenplay goes beyond a 2-hour running time, I start to get fidgety, but this 2-hour and 15 min. running time moved right along. The script was tight, concise, cohesive and fluid, not to mention that the message it carries will astound the staunchest of critics. As for me, I typically don't pull the race card when it comes to a specific situation, however with this, this man up to die for a crime he clearly didn't commit was blatantly racial and difficult to believe that this type of bigotry still exists even back in the late '80 and early 90's, when this film took place. These writers are to be commended for opening up our eyes to see how much work there is to still do societally. 

This film was released in select cities in December and then wide released this month hoping to be nominated come Oscar time. Well, this film was nominated for nothing and I find that difficult to swallow considering the top notch writing, acting and directing. This is not only well crafted film, but one where we all can certainly learn from. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                            Rated: PG-13                                         137mins.