Just Mercy

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray/DVD that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.

“In this powerful, thought-provoking true story, recent Harvard graduate Bryan Stevenson passes up lucrative jobs to defend those wrongly condemned in Alabama. Supported by local advocate Eva Ansley, he quickly picks up the incendiary case of Walter McMillian, a death-row inmate convicted of a notorious murder. Facing a legal and political labyrinth and unabashed racism, Bryan fights for Walter and others like him in a system stacked against them.”

Just Mercy opens in 1987 Alabama where Walter “Johnny D” McMillian (Jamie Foxx) is pulled over after a long days work and arrested for supposedly murdering a young girl in town. Next, we meet Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), currently a student at Harvard University interning for a law firm that works with inmates on death row. One particular instance moves Bryan, as he is sent to give the news to an inmate that their execution date will not be set for at least another year. Seeing the joy on the face of the prisoner this news gives inspires Bryan, and after speaking with him at length and hearing his side of his story, the need for someone to stand up against wrongful imprisonment and racial profiling has never been clearer to him. Two years later, Bryan has graduated and receives a grant to work with felons on death row in Alabama, a passion project of a local named Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). Together they work with several inmates who claim they’ve been wrongfully accused, one being Walter McMillian, in which they learn the horrible truths behind his arrest and conviction.

On the surface, Just Mercy looked to be one of those typical court-room drama films, but this time happens to be based on a true story. However, diving into it, I found it to be much more than that. The film tells such a heartwarming story of heroism and conviction in the face of the ugliness of racism. Bryan Stevenson’s dedication to his clients and to that of justice really pulls the viewer into the story. Being based on true events, you really can’t make the argument of being manipulated by the film to feeling a certain way, as these events did happen, and do in fact make you angry as hell that such things occur in the world, and still do to this day. Overall, the film and story are very well-crafted to include these bits of the story that evoke such strong emotion at pivotal points, yet still maintain the pacing to allow strong character development. It’s an important story that needs to be told, and the film does a superb job at getting it across.

Just Mercy boasts some incredible talent, many of the performances being one of the best of their career, in my opinion, namely, Michael B. Jordan. His portrayal of Bryan Stevenson is heartfelt, caring, and compassionate. He brings a lot of emotion to the role and is able to convey it perfectly in some of the more tense sequences, such as courtroom speeches or coming face to face with racism. His character really does exude kindness and compassion, bringing a bright light to the film in an otherwise bleak setting of racist Alabama. Jamie Foxx also delivers a very strong performance as Walter McMillian, trying to make the best of a bad situation, strong in his convictions and unfortunately knows how the world works for people of his color in that part of the country. Seeing his character change from skeptical to believing in Bryan to full fledged hope of release is great. Jamie Foxx embodies a lot of pain in his role of his treatment, sometimes very hard to watch. Brie Larson is great as usual, and although her role isn’t as large as I think it could have been, she outdoes herself in every scene she’s in.  Tim Blake Nelson is a fantastic character actor, one of those guys you know when you see him but may not know his name, and in this film he is phenomenal.

Though the film paints a very intricate picture of social and racial divides of the South, I can’t believe that it accurately represents the actions and feelings of an entire place. I realize this is based on the experiences of these men, but there just has to be another side to the coin in every situation. It focuses so much on the negative aspects of Alabama and the people in it, to the point you may believe that Brie Larson is the only non-racist person residing in the state. It’s hard to balance that divide. I myself think that the ugliness of racism should turn our stomachs and make us uncomfortable, and that’s what this film does. It may not sit well with everyone, but it honestly shouldn’t. This story is about people put on death row because of the color of their skin. There is no sugarcoating that.

Video

Just Mercy is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. The film has a great look to it, with very subtle muted colors to better represent the time period it takes place in. The picture is clear and detailed, with no defects noticed. Although the film mainly sticks to close ups and dialogue-driven sequences, there are some very beautiful scenes of the countryside of Alabama, a stark contrast to the people who live in it.

Audio

The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos. This track sounds great. You’ll mostly be hearing dialogue from the center channel throughout the film, but there are other moments that take advantage of the surrounds that sound quite nice. The score fits the film perfectly, providing a nice accompaniment that shines a light on a proud and downtrodden culture in the South.

Special Features

There are some short but informative featurettes on the disc that are well worth watching if you enjoyed the film and want to learn more about the true story behind it. These include:

• Making Mercy
• The Equal Justice Initiative
• This Moment Deserves
• Deleted Scenes

Just Mercy didn’t receive a lot of attention in theatres as I recall, but it should have. With some great performances depicting a true story that needs to be told to remind us of the horrors of racism, the fantastic pacing of the film will keep you enthralled the entire time. If you’re a fan of any of these actors or fascinated with true stories, pick this one up.