ReelBob: ‘Just Mercy’ ★★★½

By Bob Bloom

In an ideal world, the justice system is blind and balanced so that all individuals, no matter their race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, age or gender, are treated equally and fairly.

Unfortunately, we do not live in such a world; thus, inequities — especially those influenced by race and economic status — are prevalent.

“Just Mercy” is a powerful indictment of such a perversion in the legal machinery and how one young lawyer took on the establishment to correct a grievous wrong.

Michael B. Jordan stars as Bryan Stevenson, a Harvard Law School graduate, whose idealism beckons him to Monroeville, Ala., to appeal the murder conviction of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a black man on death row for the 1986 killing of an 18-year-old white girl.

The movie, based on true events, follows Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), as he battles to prove McMillian’s innocence and reveal the prejudice in the Monroe County sheriff’s department and its district attorney that led to McMillian’s arrest and conviction.

Despite a preponderance of evidence proving McMillian was nowhere near the crime scene, he was convicted simply because he was black.

“Just Mercy,” directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (“Short Term 12”), written by Cretton and Andrew Lanham, and based on a book by Stevenson, emits an old-fashioned vibe that recalls another movie set in the area — “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Jordan’s Stevenson is no Atticus Finch, but he displays a sharp mind and a compassionate nature that links him to his fictional counterpart.

The movie shows how, even in the 1980s, deep-rooted antiblack sentiment and flagrant discrimination still permeated many areas of South.

Despite Stevenson uncovering evidence that would exonerate McMillian, the county prosecutor, the sheriff, Tom Tate, and the judge refuse to re-open the case and retry McMillian.

Stevenson detects a conspiracy of intimidated witnesses who could clear McMillian and recordings and statements that prove McMillian was railroaded.

Yet, the local, white, law-enforcement establishment refuses to consider freeing McMillan. They would rather send an innocent man to the electric chair than admit wrongdoing or search for the actual culprit, which was not investigated from the outset.

Cretton and his cast bring such strong sincerity to the project that its impact is felt despite its familiarity.

Four powerful performances dominate the movie. Jordan’s Stevenson provides a quiet resolve and commitment to justice. He is young, principled and clear-eyed; enough so that, though concerned for his safety, he continues to fight for his clients.

Jamie Foxx’s McMillian is pragmatic and cynical. As the film progresses, we see his character gain a spark of hope and a righteous conviction that truth will eventually win out.

Foxx’s McMillian is, at first, skeptical about Stevenson. But he slowly comes to realize that his new attorney may be his salvation.

Two supporting players, Rob Morgan as death-row inmate Herbert Richardson and Tim Blake Nelson, as Ralph Myers, a convicted felon who can prove McMillian’s innocence, also provide outstanding screen moments.

Morgan especially shines as a Vietnam veteran suffering from PTSD who was sentenced to death for detonating a bomb during one of his flashback episodes.

Nelson, too, takes the spotlight as a damaged individual whose phobias make him susceptible to Tate’s corrupt agenda.

“Just Mercy” is more than a crusading drama about righting wrongs. It details the birth of the EJI organization that continues to save the lives of dozens of individuals on death row; many of whom were later released because of misconduct by the prosecution.

At the end, “Just Mercy” may make you weep for joy and applaud for its outcome. And, it also will make you think about judicial abuses that have robbed many people — the vast majority of whom are minorities — of their rights as American citizens.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.