Just Mercy

Just Mercy

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, Rob Morgan

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

The town of Monroeville, Alabama is famous for two things: the birthplace of "To Kill a Mockingbird" author Harper Lee, and the sensational case of the murder of Ronda Morrison, an 18-year-old white woman who was shot to death.  The police wrongfully accused black man Walter McMillian of the crime after his public affair with a white woman, and was sentenced to death after a railroaded trial.  It wasn't until Delaware attorney Bryan Stevenson arrived in town did he take up the case and brought it to the public's eye thanks to an expose on "60 Minutes," resulting in the Alabama Supreme Court overturning the conviction.  "Just Mercy" is the film based on the events, and much like the fact that this takes place in Lee's hometown, there's a lot of parallels that can be drawn between this and her Atticus Finch character.

In the film, Bryan is portrayed by Michael B. Jordan, and his attorney character is very similar to Finch: both are men of designation, who seek the truth at any cost, and both share a sense of almost naive idealism that they'll prevail due to the truth being on their side.  This also makes their characters seem boring, as there's no sense of conflict that drives their character, but here is where Jordan really shines - in the quiet moments, the times we see the righteous anger in his eyes, his strong stance and overall presence that delivers a powerful take even without saying a word.  Jordan has been an acclaimed actor for a long time, and this is easily one of his best performances.

Likewise, Jamie Foxx gives Walter McMullian a truly humanistic feel, that can also become burdened by his simplicity.  Everyone knows McMillian is innocent, and he carries himself as such: an innocent man who made one mistake in life, but otherwise is completely wholesome and uncorrupted.  Again, in less capable hands, his role might've fallen by the wayside, but Foxx gives such a commanding, impassioned performance that it can easily be ranked up as one of his best, so much so he garnered a SAG award nomination for his performance in a year over-saturated by amazing supporting performances.

If these two powerful leading men weren't a part of this film, it would've been confined to the overly cliched nature of its premise - even though it's a true story.  The all-white police force falsely accuse a black man of a heinous crime, and go to great lengths to cover it up, despite the fact that almost anyone with half a brain would get that McMillian was innocent, which is why I've been wondering he was in prison for so long.  The cops, and especially the sheriff and prosecutor, are depicted in the typical racist caricature that's almost comical if it wasn't reality, while everyone else stays akin to their own roles as well.  Brie Larson does well as Stevenson's assistant Eva Ansley, and she works admirably with the small part she's given, but even her character receives the generic treatment as she receives threatening calls after re-opening the McMillian case - I was just waiting for the non-proverbial brick to be thrown through her window, but surprisingly that didn't happen.

Stevenson continued to unravel the case, leading to the state's only witness - convict Ralph Myers - who's about as competent as someone who drinks twenty beers in ten minutes.  Tim Blake Nelson plays Myers well, and gives him a deeper characterization as to why he lied in the first case that makes him almost sympathetic, but even this is overly simplistic.

If there was any surprises in the film, it comes from Rob Morgan's portrayal of Herbert Richardson, an African American man suffering from PTSD after returning from the war who actually did kill a woman with a bomb, but did so due to his mental illness that wasn't raised during his trial.  He knows he deserves to be on death row, and Morgan becomes the pivotal character in the story, who probably should've been recognized even moreso than Foxx due to his stronger performance.

The film does shed light on the importance of Bryan Stevenson's job, and his eternal impact in the lives of those wrongfully placed on death row for crimes they never committed.  His company has freed over a hundred innocent people from death row, and the end of the film gives a staggering fact: one out of every nine people on death row are innocent, and offers an important debate about the necessity for the death penalty.  Stevenson might not wear a cape, but he's a true superhero.

Heightened by award-deserving performances by Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, "Just Mercy" sheds light on the corrupt case of Walter McMillian and more importantly on the broken judicial system that allowed such an event to happen - even though it adhered to typical cliched tropes.

The Score: A