Justice, Grace and Mercy in the South

Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx headline an earnest, if not formulaic, drama which offers a glance at how classism, racism and the law can become dangerously intertwined

The death penalty remains one of the most controversial subjects in the American judicial system. While a number of states of have abolished capital punishment, more than half of the country still enforces it. Chief among them are southern states, including Alabama, which is where the events of this film and the book it's based on took place. In 1988, Walter "Johnny D" McMillian (portrayed by Foxx) was originally sentenced to life in prison, which was then overturned by the ruling judge in favor of the death penalty, for the murder of a young Caucasian woman named Ronda Morrison. He was convicted without any physical evidence linking him to the shooting and his trial didn't even last two full days.

Jordan stars as Bryan Stevenson, an idealistic young law graduate who’s eager to make his mark on the world. He takes his Harvard degree down to Monroe County, Alabama (home of "To Kill a Mockingbird" writer Harper Lee, unironically) and starts the Equal Justice Initiative; a program intended to give representation to death row inmates. Stevenson fought for several prisoners but McMillian's case was a strikingly deplorable example of prejudice disguised as legality. The conviction was manufactured through false testimonies and coerced confessions. Stevenson and McMillian endured a marathon of obstacles steeped in bigotry to tell their truth, which director and co-writer Destin Daniel Cretton captures with a documentary-esque lens. There are melodramatic bursts, but a lot of the pain endured by those involved can be read on their faces. It certainly helps to get, if not career-best, then near career-best performances from Jordan and Foxx, as well as strong supporting players (including Brie Larson, Rob Morgan and Raef Spall). Still, the movie clearly fits into a three act structure with predictable emotional swells, but that's hard to escape when telling stories of this ilk.

“Just Mercy” know its strengths and plays to them. Cinematically, it travels down a beaten path, but it's the execution that matters most. Predictability aside, it’s a satisfying tear-jerker. The entire cast performs admirably and helps sell everything as authentic. There are some details from real-life accounts that are either compressed or omitted (as with any film based on a true story), but the backbone of the case, trails and individuals involved are all relatively accurate. Ably directed and written, the movie recounts a painful tale that needed to be told for the sake of posterity. This was only 30 years ago and with death row still being very much alive, the truth needs to prevail as much as possible to avoid this happening to anyone else. B+