Just Mercy Movie Review
Just Mercy, starring Jamie Foxx, Michael B Jordan, and Brie Larson, tells the story of Bryan Stevenson (Michael B Jordan), a lawyer and Harvard graduate who starts a firm called Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama, and his attempts to free two death-row inmates: Herbert Richardson (Rob Morgan), a Vietnam veteran with severe PTSD convicted of killing a girl with a bomb, and Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a woodcutter accused of killing a white woman despite a lack of valid evidence. Stevenson works to get Richardson off death row and McMillian out of prison.
I found the cinematography of the movie mediocre, with no inherent problems but nothing special. None of the scenes stood out to me in terms of shooting or lighting, and the style was relatively bland, with no unique features. However, this film is not meant to be an artistic masterpiece or a thriller with an interesting gimmick; at the end of a day, it is meant to tell the story of people.
And telling the story is where Just Mercy excels. Based on a true story, it has incredible emotional depth, and the writers did an excellent job of conveying the emotions of the characters. The story cuts out a lot of the true story of Bryan Stevenson and Walter McMillian, toning down the injustice somewhat, but it provided the years-long story very capably within a two-hour film.
The whole cast is superb, portraying their characters with the same depth of emotion as real people. Jamie Foxx, in particular, shows the profound and complex emotions behind McMillian, and Rafe Spall, who plays prosecutor Tommy Chapman, shows just how deep-seated feelings of racial prejudice are in the South. Even with the time jumps and scene cuts, each character feels like a living, breathing person, and they bring the story of Stevenson to life.
Overall, Just Mercy is a very well done movie, with an emotional plot and heartful acting. If you are looking for an action-packed thrill ride or a cheesy rom-com, this movie is not for you. But if you are looking for a heart-wrenching true story that exposes the problems with our justice system, Just Mercy is the movie to see. It will make you cry, it will outrage you, but you may leave the theater filled with a little bit of hope.