Justice in the Face of Injustice

Kaleidoscope's latest is on Warner Bros. & Participant Media's production of "Just Mercy".  Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the movie stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, Rob Morgan, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., & Tim Blake Nelson.  Rated 'PG-13', it has a running time of 2 hr., 17 min.

The exposition occurs in Delaware at the home of Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his parents.  Bryan has just graduated from Harvard Law School.  He is explaining to his parents why, instead of taking a lucrative offer from the many law schools who have tried to recruit him, he is planning to travel to Alabama where he wants to set up an office called the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit which will provide legal services for death-row inmates.  Bryan moves to Alabama where he initially stays with Eva Ansley (Larson) & her family;  Eva is a total believer in what Bryan is dong, even at the expense of alienating she & her family from their white neighbors.  Initially, Bryan takes on the case of death-row inmate Walter McMillan (Foxx), a black man who has been convicted of murdering a white woman despite witnesses (who were never called to testify during the trial) who placed him nowhere near the murder scene.  Bryan also takes the case of Herbert Richardson (Morgan), a Vietnam War veteran who suffers from PTSD; he set off a bomb at a house that he assumed would be empty; instead, the owner was home & died.  This confluence of characters in Act I sets up the true events that occur during Acts II and III.

Unknown, to me, director Cretton directs in a journeyman, workman-like fashion.  There is nothing that is innovative or sophisticated about his style; luckily for Cretton, it is not needed.  This is such a powerful true tale that the strength of the narrative & performances rivets the viewer to the screen.  Much of this vigor comes from the literate screenplay by Cretton & Andrew Lanham based on Stevenson's book of the same name.  By concentrating on Bryan and his working relationships with McMillan & Richardson, integrating archival footage at appropriate times, & allowing the robustness of the dialogue & performances to take center stage, one is swept up in a story that continues to resonate through today.  The proof that inequality persists is that Bryan is still head of his organization and speaks on the lecture circuit in the pursuit of fairness & equality for all.  Jordan excels as Stevenson.  He brings a quiet intensity & dignity that is perfectly suited to Stevenson, the man.  It is an injustice that he was not nominated for Best Actor for the 2020 Oscars.  Foxx brings the same power & intensity to the role of the innocent McMillan.  Although he gives up hope, at times, his ultimate belief in Bryan propels him to persist with Bryan.  Larson is quietly stoic as a composite character of many of those who aided Stevenson as he developed his Initiative.  Morgan shines in a complex role as a guilty man who acknowledges his guilt even tho his sentence should have been tempered by his PTSD.  Jackson has little to do as another death-row inmate.  Nelson shines as a key witness who ultimately testifies as he defies the prejudice around him.  Little known Joel P. West has written an evocative, if prosaic, score that suits the story.  Brett Pawlak's cinematography & Nat Sanders editing are routine but suitable to this dynamic story.

I give "Just Mercy" 8.5 out of 10 nuggets.  This is an emotional & powerful story that is especially appropriate & necessary during the time in which we live.  If you love true stories, if you love dynamic performances, if you love to see truth & justice prevail, head to your local cineplex for a truly rewarding & emotional story that needs to be seen.