Just Mercy (2019)

Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton | 137 minutes | drama | Actors: Marcus A. Griffin Jr., Michael B. Jordan, Karan Kendrick, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, Rob Morgan, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Lindsay Ayliffe, CJ LeBlanc, Ron Clinton Smith, Dominic Bogart, Hayes Mercure

The name Bryan Stevenson may not immediately ring a bell with everyone, but the best man deserves a statue. For 35 years he has been fighting against prejudice in the American legal system, taking care of poor, mostly African-American people. He works to combat unjust death sentences, especially in the southern United States, where the legacy of racism is still evident. Since he himself is colored and chose the ultra-conservative southern states as his field of work (while coming from more northerly Delaware), his struggle for justice is rarely easy. Stevenson was born with the importance of education, not least from his grandmother, a daughter of slaves who had never attended high school. In church he learned that he could get back up after a fall, the foundation for the resilience and perseverance that would serve him well in his years as a lawyer. Another lesson from the church was: ‘Every person in our society is more than their worst deed’. But if someone has done something criminal, he must be punished for it. So when his grandfather was stabbed to death in a robbery in the early 1980s, he certainly thought the life sentence the perpetrators received was appropriate. “The fact that my grandfather was already old made this murder even more cruel. But I come from a world where forgiveness takes precedence over revenge.”

The court drama ‘Just Mercy’ (2019) honors Bryan Stevenson and his work and depicts his 35-year battle for justice through the case of Walter MacMillan, a black man arrested in 1987 for the murder of a (white) teenage girl in Monroeville, Alabama. He ends up without a fair trial on death row where he awaits his execution. Michael B. Jordan plays Bryan Stevenson, the young and ambitious lawyer who has just graduated from Harvard law school and is determined to help wrongly convicted people—particularly those who can’t afford to hire top lawyers—to serve their sentences. decrease or reverse if possible. Before long, he is personally confronted with racial inequality in Alabama, when the landlord of the property his partner Eva (Brie Larson) has arranged suddenly backs away because he doesn’t want to burn his fingers. It is downright humiliating when he is ordered by a newfangled guard to undress completely when visiting some clients in prison. But Bryan doesn’t give up and bites into a number of harrowing cases, including that of Walter “Johnny D.” MacMillan (Jamie Foxx), who has basically lost his faith in justice and hope for a happy ending. Johnny D. was convicted on the basis of a single, also false statement from criminal Ralph Meyers (Tim Blake Nelson), while he cannot even have committed the murder at all because he was frying fish for a charity project. However, the dozens of eyewitnesses who were able to exonerate him were never heard. It’s up to Bryan and Eva to enforce justice and get Johnny D. out, though the Alabama State Attorney’s Office led by the ambitious Tommy Chapman (Rafe Spall) thinks otherwise.

‘Just Mercy’ was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously made ‘The Glass Castle’ (2017). Oscar winner Brie Larson (‘Room’, 2015) also starred in that film; perhaps that’s why she gave the director a favor with her contribution in ‘Just Mercy’. She doesn’t get anything to do as Eva Ansley; a shame for such a good actress. Michael B. Jordan and especially Jamie Foxx come out much better. Jordan is unlucky that the screenplay was written by Cretton and Andrew Lantham in such a way that Bryan Stevenson is almost a saint. Of course they have a lot of respect for his work, but the character could have had some jagged edges. Here he remains quite one-dimensional and we get (too) little of his background. Jordan fortunately has enough charisma that he drags his character through. Jamie Foxx, on the other hand, proves once again that his Oscar for ‘Ray’ (2004) was no fluke. Often his look says more than any dialogue. How bitter must poor Johnny D. be? The sad thing is that you know that even if he gets released, it’s impossible for him to lead a ‘normal’ life; the white community has condemned him harshly for something he didn’t do. Johnny D.’s cellmates (played by Rob Morgan and O’Shea Jackson Jr.) are also characters that will not leave you indifferent. Morgans Herbert in particular is particularly tragic and moves, but at the same time arouses anger: why are these men not entitled to a fair trial?

Cretton has great respect for Bryan Stevenson – perhaps even too much – and therefore treats the film about his life’s work with velvet gloves. ‘Just Mercy’ is in fact quite docile and conventional. Especially if you’ve seen court dramas before, this film doesn’t bring anything new. Cretton follows the script that has already yielded success, but does not do his film and its subject justice. Because ‘Just Mercy’ never sticks its head above ground level, never manages to surprise and therefore does not have the impact that a film like this should have. Jordan is like Stevenson a benefactor and an angel, but never becomes a real person because the image that is painted of him is too one-sided. Nevertheless, Cretton made a solid film that, thanks to the fine actors, is easy to look at and certainly touches you in certain scenes. There would only have been a lot more, especially with that great cast!