MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Biographical Legal Drama/Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Michael Harding, Karan Kendrick, C.J. LeBlanc, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Dominic Bogart, Lindsay Ayliffe, Ron Clinton Smith, Hayes Mercure, Kirk Bovill, Terence Rosemore, Rhoda Griffis, Norm Lewis/Runtime: 137 minutes
I think it is safe to say that even though it is necessary to take into account, be it externally or internally, that there is a fair bit of doom, gloom, and despair in the world around us, it is equally as important that we as human beings do something else too. That being that we also take the time to locate and cherish the reminders we get of the more positive forces at work in the world around us such as hope, optimism, and similar associates. In fact, these forces occur so much in the worlds of cinema, television, and literature that the creative minds amongst us all had a secret meeting and during the course of that secret meeting came up with a word to describe them. That word was “inspirational” and since then it has been utilized in every kind of cinema from sports movies like 2004’s Miracle to movies like 1988’s Stand and Deliver or 1995’s Mr. Holland’s Opus about the hardworking teachers who impact the lives of their students in ways that are truly phenomenal. Equally as important as the concept of inspiration though is the concept of galvanization which unfortunately does NOT involve the Transformer Galvatron (as least as far as I know). Instead, this concept is one which involves jolting someone into action on a particular issue. The reason I bring these two distinct concepts up to you dear reader is because the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2019’s Just Mercy, is a film that manages to be both of these things at the exact same time and the end result is quite special. To be sure, this is a slice of cinema that is quite run of the mill in certain respects including in its narrative, but is then also significantly bolstered by truly phenomenal work on both sides of the camera. Suffice it to say that this film might not be a perfect film by any stretch, but it is very much a rousing and potent look at the power of hope in one man tried to acquire justice for those in an area that maybe deserved it most.
The plot is as follows: An adaptation of the 2014 non-fiction memoir of the same name by Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy gets underway as we are taken back in time to 1989 and introduced to Mr. Stevenson as he is in the process of graduating with a law degree from no less an establishment than Harvard University. Yet whereas most of his classmates are simply content to be picked up by the top firms in the country and get comfy positions where they practice law until noon and then play golf until the sun sets, we see that Bryan has other ideas. Namely he has decided to make his way to the state Alabama. Not because he’s about to become the Crimson Tide’s new legal representation, but because he has the desire to aid those individuals who are, for whatever reason, unable to afford the kind of legal representation that they so rightfully deserve. To that end, we see that it isn’t long before our intrepid hero has found himself a friend/ally in the form of a passionate local do-gooder by the name of Eva Ansley and together our dynamic duo is then able to come together to create a non-profit organization known as the Avengers Initiative ehhh I mean the Equal Justice Initiative and place its headquarters in Alabama state capital Montgomery. We soon learn that this organization is meant to provide skilled legal representation to people within the prison system who were either fraudulently accused of crimes they had no hand in whatsoever, had their right to a fair trial rejected, unable to afford proper legal representation, or all of the above. Along with those groups though, I guess there is one other category of individuals worth mentioning that this organization serves. Namely that this organization also engages in trying to defending anyone in the state of Alabama whose case’s initial verdict got them put on death row and, as a result, are striving to get an appeal of their initial conviction. The reason that this category is so important incidentally is because it is a member of that group that Stevenson crosses paths during one of his trips to a state prison. A member whose name is Walter McMillian (but who goes by the nickname Johnny D for….reasons) and who, despite being convicted by the courts for the brutal murder in 1986 for an 18-year-old white girl named Ronda Morrison, has consistently stated that he is an innocent man. Suffice it to say then that when Bryan starts to look over the evidence from the case and, surprise surprise, starts to notice quite obvious issues in the prosecution’s case it’s not long before he decides to take McMillian’s case on. Of course, by doing so we see that Bryan isn’t simply taking on a case. Rather, he is taking on a situation that will reveal, among other elements, just how politically underhanded and entrenched the racism is in this part of the country to the point that they would be willing to let a possibly innocent man die. As for if McMillian is in fact innocent and what winds up happening with his particular case that I will leave for you to discover for yourself…..
Now right off the bat, I will say that the work done behind the camera is fairly well done albeit with a few distinct caveats. Chief among those is the fact that this slice of cinema’s helmer co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Lanham. To be sure, the screenplay does cover what it needs to do with a degree of efficiency which makes sense when taking into account this film operates on a runtime of, including credits, 136 minutes. Yet this swiftness also comes with a consequence and that is the fact that the emotional impact this story is supposed to possess is negated to an extent. As a result, we see this slice of cinema at times is one which gives off the vibe of being a story that we as movie goers have seen quite a few times by this point. Yet what helps to distinguish this distinct narrative is the era it occurred in, the location it takes place in, and how everything got resolved. Indeed by having the case at the heart of this story unfurl for us in the same county that “To Kill a Mockingbird this film is able to have its main character operate as a distinct dichotomy to Atticus Finch by replacing Atticus’s guilt at not always doing as much as he could have for Stevenson’s genuine courage in the face of dealing with racial hatred on the same level as his clients. At the same time though, this film’s helmer does put way too many to the point reminders of the ordeal being faced by our intrepid hero right down to racist cops heckling him throughout the course of his investigation. Yet even though there are these issues at play, not only is this film capably made (which is a wonderful thing especially seeing how you can pretty much guess fairly well how things will play out), but this film’s helmer does manage to factor in a truly gripping subplot that also operates as kind of a mini movie-within-a-movie in the form of an in-depth look into the relationships that McMillian is able to form with a pair of fellow individuals who are on death row with him. Indeed the attachment between this trio does a heart wrenchingly good job at elevating significantly the ordeal of staying strong when looking death firmly in the eye. At the same time, these particular moments also reminded me of another movie called Clemency which was released around the same time. Yet whereas Clemency stayed rooted in the agony and distress of this system, this slice of cinema is one that is constantly pursuing hope and optimism in the face of adversity and in many ways, it is able to find that especially in a final scene in the courtroom that, without going into spoilers, may very well leave you holding back tears. Suffice it to say then that it might not be a game changer in any sense of the word, but as a tribute of what it takes to gain justice in a system that isn’t always able to dispense like it advertises it’s still very much a capable and potent slice of cinema.
Of course, the other big component to a slice of cinema like this working on the level that this one is ultimately able to accomplish is the work done by the cast of players that have been assembled in front of the camera. In that regard, it should be noted that the performances in front of the camera in this slice of cinema are absolutely and phenomenally well-done. This starts with Michael B. Jordan in the lead role of Bryan Stevenson and he is fantastic. Yes, in many ways the character operates like the legal eagle equivalent to a Boy Scout and I can see how that could potentially get a wee bit annoying to some people who decide to sit down and watch this slice of cinema. Having said that though, there is no denying that Jordan also brings an inspiring mix of passion, legal skill, earnestness, heart and also conviction to the role that really makes this character to say nothing of his crusade for justice in this slice of cinema one that is most assuredly inspiring and fairly easy to root for. Suffice it to say that Jordan has quickly made himself one of the finest actors of his generation and is work in this slice of cinema is not only really well done, but also most assuredly another wonderful welcome addition to an already iconic collection of performances given by this genuine talent. As wonderful as Jordan is however, equally as impressive is the work done here by Jamie Foxx who gives movie goers one of his best performances in quite a while in the role of Walter McMillian. Indeed, as portrayed by Fox, McMillian is a man who is a bit more cynical and world weary about his circumstances to say nothing of his chances in getting justice than Bryan is due in large part to his tragically broader knowledge of how things work in his section of the world if you will. Yet as the film goes on, we see that as Bryan continues to try and aid him that this results in Foxx being able to strip pieces of that cynicism away to reveal the genuinely good and decent albeit wounded by his experiences man that still lies there underneath. Indeed it’s no secret that, when given the right material, Jamie Foxx can be as dynamic of an actor as anyone in the business if not more so. A skill that movie goers have been treated to in such films as Any Given Sunday, Django Unchained, Collateral, and (of course) his Oscar-winning turn in Ray. Suffice it to say that you can now add his work in this to that list as well. Now I did enjoy Brie Larson’s work in this as Eva and I do think that she too can be a terrific actress when given the right material, but I also felt that this slice of cinema sadly didn’t give her character nearly as many dimensions as it did the other performers in this. Nevertheless when you also factor in some wonderful support work here from such screen talents as O’Shea Jackson Jr. as one of McMillian’s prison buddies, the always enjoyable Tim Blake Nelson in a vital role to the proceedings, a slightly despicable yet also conflicted Rafe Spall as the current prosecutor/this film’s quasi-sorta main antagonist, and a performance from Rob Morgan that, without going into any significant spoilers, I promise will at least leave you holding back tears and at most sear itself into your memory to name but a few of the terrific support performances on display I think it can be said with ease that there might be some issues to be found with this slice of cinema, but the work done by this skilled cast of players, more or less, most assuredly is not one of them.
All in all I am completely aware that there are quite a few of us out there who won’t deliberately go out of their way to find and view works that are quite depressing. Perhaps this is why it is quite the effortless task on my part when I recommend a powerful movie like 2017’s Detroit all while being fully aware that there are a lot of people who won’t want to sit through an emotional hurricane that also moonlights as a slap in the face to the justice system here in the United States. With that in mind, I like to think of Just Mercy as an affable enough middle ground of sorts. By that I mean this is a slice of cinema that makes it clear to audiences they are going to be getting an extremely well-constructed on both sides of the camera film and in return asks that we think long and hard on our current views of both the justice system as well as injustice of the racial variety. Yet, as noble as that is, it’s not too surprising to learn that this middle ground is by no means one that every single one of you will be willing to accept. That’s because if you already are on board with the message this film is sharing then this is by no means nothing new for you since you’ve most likely heard it all before. On the other hand, there are those who believe that in order for people to change for the better then they must be called to task in a way that, in some form, involves a degree of conflict and/or hardship. A kind of pummeling incidentally that this slice of cinema actively tries to steer away from in exchange for more positive thematic concepts. To be sure this slice of cinema is most assuredly not one that is happy go lucky by any stretch of the imagination. At the same time however, this slice of cinema also strives to both be agreeable and also not burn those who watch it at the proverbial stake. Ultimately, though it is by no means easy to critique a movie based on how a potential viewer might see it, but this is one situation where how strong the story is depends quite a bit on how strong its core message is. The only dilemma I foresee is I’m not entirely sure if people out there in this ever-steadily dividing world will be willing to hear what this movie has to say. If you should find yourself willing to do so however, you’ll be glad to know that Just Mercy is a potent and extremely well-constructed slice of cinema that I hope will touch peoples’ hearts and show them that perhaps justice isn’t so much about how we treat those around us. Rather, it’s about how we fix the system so that it does what it was supposed to do from the start and that is no more or less than ensure that what is true and right for one is true and right for all. On a scale of 1-5 I give Just Mercy “2019” a solid 4 out of 5.
