Just Mercy Serves Slow and Somber Justice

Just Mercy is so laser focused on the trial of a wrongfully committed man that it’s almost maddening how it never zooms out to the bigger picture of institutional corruption and prejudice. From the moment Walter McMillian is arrested to his inevitable release, there are very few detours from the core courtroom drama and the individual injustice at play—so much that we hardly get a breather for Michael B. Jordan to ease into his role as sharp attorney Bryan Stevenson. But ultimately there’s something admirable about keeping viewers’ eyes narrowed on this subject for over two hours in a way that thankfully feels warranted by some strong performances through the melodrama machine.

Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson and Jamie Foxx as Walter McMillian in Just Mercy. Warner Bros. Pictures

Alabama resident Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a man wrongfully accused of murder, is Bryan’s biggest case. He was arrested in 1987, and his case continues long into the 1990s—only because the lawyer finds some blank spots in the verdict. A lot of information doesn’t add up. A witness may have been silenced. Those accusing Walter may have been forced to do so. The closer Bryan believes he is to getting the charges dismissed, the more it seems there is always something holding him back. Be it the corruption of the justice system or the racist intimidation of the police that backs witnesses into corners, he is in for a tough legal battle.

Jordan plays this role so straight it’s almost frustrating to watch him keep a cool head in such heated situations. Despite being both strip-searched and pulled over with a gun to his head by the local law, he remains firm. This is mostly because Bryan, like the film itself, never loses sight of his case. He never lets the intimidation brew fear within his progress but also doesn’t seem to showcase much pain either. There are brief bits when we see him consider the weight of his work as well as the importance of community, best stressed in his many meetings with Walter’s whole family.

When it comes to Bryan’s own family and personal history, we only catch a brief glimpse of him with his mother and a few mentions of his educational background before he’s digging into case files of those on death row. He knows he can make a difference when he meets with a current prisoner thankful he won’t be facing death for at least another year. It’s all business with him.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Foxx is certainly at his best in his portrayal of a man who starts off drained of all hope. In his first meeting with Bryan, he feels defeated and nihilistic about his chances, not even considering he may have a case. There are many moments when we expect him to explode in rage, as when he slams his hand down on a table to put things in perspective for his hopeful attorney. There’s true pain in his face after another trial goes nowhere. There’s a great sadness when his only comfort while confined is the pictures of his family, growing up without him.

There are a number of other fine performances. Brie Larson is somewhat unrecognizable as Bryan’s devoted sidekick, Eva Ansley. Tim Blake Nelson throws himself head first into the role of simple Southern prisoner Ralph Myers. But perhaps the finest performance of the film is Rob Morgan in the role of death-row inmate Herbert Richardson, a veteran whose post-traumatic stress disorder led to him making a bomb, which killed a young girl. Rather than receiving mental help, he was given the death sentence. The questioning of mental health is brought up, but, much like the corruption within the justice system and the racism that drives it, only bits and pieces are observed, as bright as they may be.

Rob Morgan as Herbert Richardson. Warner Bros. Pictures

Just Mercy is an easy-to-swallow drama that feels better built as an audience pleaser than a harsh look at the major problems in the late 20th-century criminal justice system. What makes this seem more clear is the epilogue: just before the credits roll, as audiences wait to clap and leave, we’re given some follow-up facts about Walter’s case that seem hopeful. Stick around, however, and during the credits you’ll learn a bit of updated info that is more disheartening than encouraging. This troubling aspect is present in the film, but it seems most present here at the end, just when audiences are on their way out the door. You have to wonder whether we’ll really think more on these issues past the optimistic moments when the charges are dropped and the audience cheers.