The discussion of justice for all has existed at least since those words were included in the Pledge of Allegiance…and the lack thereof has been around just as long. Recently, there have been a few works that focused on the black experience with that issue and Just Mercy is the latest. Based on the book of the same name, Just Mercy is the story of young, black attorney Bryan Stevenson and his fight to exonerate Walter “Johnny D.” McMillan, who has been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of a white woman in Alabama.
Overall, the acting in Just Mercy is stellar and that starts with Jamie Foxx. Foxx’s portrayal of Johnny D. shows why he is a generational talent. That talent hits from the opening scene, in which you witness Johnny D.’s shift from a proud, hardworking black business owner and family man to someone who knows he’s about to become a victim of a system intent on punishing for a crime he did not commit as well as the color of his skin during his initial encounter with the police. The sorrow and hopelessness that Foxx exhibits by the close of that scene permeates throughout the film and creates a space for an equally strong performance from Rob Morgan, who plays fellow death row inmate Herbert Richardson. Morgan’s Herbert doesn’t get as much screen time as Foxx, but he absolutely shines in the time he has and gives what are easily the most heartfelt and moving moments in the film. If the best supporting actor awards categories were not so crowded, the case could be made for both Foxx and Morgan to be recognized among the best. The one area where the acting in Just Mercy shows some weakness is in its co-lead, Michael B. Jordan. His performance as Stevenson is not bad because he is an excellent compliment to Foxx’s Johnny D. as someone who has not walked in Johnny’s shoes but understands the horror of living in a space where your sin is your skin. In the scenes where he is allowed to show how he empathizes with Johnny D.’s plight and works to gain his trust, Jordan flashes the skills seen in Fruitvale Station that placed him everyone’s watch list. The problems come when he acts as an attorney. As he makes an argument or orally cites a statute, Jordan falters and becomes stoic to the point where he’s less an attorney trying to save an innocent man and more someone who’s reading cue cards for a prepaid legal services infomercial.
Off camera, Just Mercy is a little uneven, but still impressive. The script has a few bumps in the road such as the most unimaginative courtroom scenes you’ll ever see due to a lack of strong dialogue and the small, but unnecessary scenes given for Stevenson’s backstory. However, these mishaps are not enough to derail what writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton crafted. Where Cretton excels is telling a story that does not singularly focus on Stevenson or Johnny D. or attempt to convince you join the fight against the death penalty. Instead, Cretton’s script and direction takes us further by showing how others beyond those two were affected and the system’s role in things getting to this point instead of an anti-death penalty argument. We see how Johnny D.’s family struggles without him. We see how Johnny D. and his fellow death row inmates interact with and impact each other until they meet the fate that lies ahead for them. We see how the system allowed the authorities to abuse their power to wrongfully convict a man and sentence him to death. Those details give even the staunchest of death penalty supporters the opportunity to feel empathy for Johnny D. without trying to change their mind.
Just Mercy is a film with a heavy message that it delivers without the usual grandstanding and myopic perspective seen in films with the same subject matter. While it does have its flaws, the acting overall and directing in Just Mercy are so well executed that the problematic parts of the film are minimized and it still gives you a worthwhile payoff. If you’re looking for a film to serve as a lightning rod for controversy regarding the death penalty, you won’t find it here. However, if you’re in the mood for a moving film about justice for all, buy your ticket for Just Mercy today.
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