Just Mercy (2019)

[Robert Crawford]

Title: Just Mercy

Genre: Drama

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Rafe Spall, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Drew Scheid, Steve Coulter, Mary Kraft, Rhoda Griffis, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Karan Kendrick

Release: 2019-12-25

Runtime: 136

Plot: The powerful true story of Harvard-educated lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who goes to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned — including Walter McMillian, a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan fights tirelessly for Walter with the system stacked against them.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm looking forward to watching this film.

 

[Jake Lipson]

We aren't getting this here for another couple of weeks, since it opens wide on January 10. But I agree about looking forward to watching it. If it were here already I would go sooner. Destin Daniel Cretton is a terrific director, and he's assembled a great cast for this one.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yeah, it doesn't open here until January 10th, but I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Has anyone here been able to check this movie out in its current limited release since Christmas? If some of you in one of the bigger cities and saw it already, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I thought I would bump this thread because Just Mercy is now in wide release. 1917 is getting more buzz this weekend due to its Golden Globes, but I hope Just Mercy is not ignored. I'm planning to see it tomorrow.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I saw this today and really liked it. The structure of it is fairly standard for a legal drama, and therefore it is not as flashy as some of the other films that are expected to clean up at the various awards. Destin Daniel Cretton doesn't go out of his way to leave a big, distinctive mark on the film as his, but he doesn't need to. He is confident in the value of the story that he is telling and lets it speak for itself, if that makes sense, directing it in a way that is very assured in its understated approach. His script is good and he knows he has the right actors to pull it off, so he doesn't need to give it a lot of pomp and circumstance. It's a great showcase for the actors, and the message is very clear without banging you over the head or feeling preachy. This is the best Jamie Foxx has been since at least Dreamgirls, and Michael B. Jordan and Brie Larson are terrific too. I'm not sure it's one that I would want to revisit with great frequency, but it's really good, and I would highly recommend it. Warner Bros. should be commended for making this, and I hope it does well in this tentpole-driven environment.

 

[holtge]

Thanks for the review @Jake Lipson! I'll definitely check it out!

 

[steve jaros]

Saw Just Mercy today and I recommend it. Compelling story of an innocent man on death row and those who tried to exonerate him. Much more effective when focusing on the prisoner's story rather than making points about the DP generally, but overall an entertaining and moving film.

B

 

[Jeff Adkins]

I finally got to see this. What a fantastic film!

My only complaint is I wish they would have used some music of that era (90s). I think it would be good for audiences to have that reminder that this kind of injustice was happening not all that long ago.

A

 

[Jake Lipson]

Sometimes when you wait until January to open an awards player in wide release, that really works out and gets the movie lots of attention and success, as we've seen this year with 1917 and in previous years with American Sniper and Hidden Figures.

And sometimes that strategy just doesn't really go according to plan. Unfortunately, Just Mercy seems to be one of those latter cases. Its total to date is $31 million domestic plus an additional $6 million international for a worldwide total of just over $38 million.

It appears to be essentially more or less done with its theatrical run now. My local theater still has it for two shows a day, but that's probably only because they have 20 screens to fill and they can't put Birds of Prey on all of them. I really liked the film and wish it had gotten more attention, but it seems to have flown under the radar of most people, or if they know about it they're not going to see it in large numbers.

 

[JoeStemme]

Destin Daniel Cretton's JUST MERCY is heartfelt if a bit paint by the numbers docu-drama based on the case of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx) who was wrongly accused of a 1986 murder in Alabama. Michael B. Jordan plays Bryan Stevenson a middle class Harvard educated black lawyer who gave up the chance to become a high priced lawyer in order to set up and run the Equal Justice Initiative which helps (and continues to this day) disadvantaged defendants. Brie Larson plays Eva Ansley a local housewife who helps Stevenson get the Initiative foundation started.

JUST MERCY is a bit rote in its set-up. The condemned man on Death Row story is familiar. What Cretton brings to the movie is his skill with actors. As with his exceptional indie SHORT TERM 12 (which was Larson's breakout film), there's an ease and naturalism that imbues the production with a believability beyond the Based On A True Story backdrop (the case became national news via a scathing to Alabama law enforcement segment on 60 Minutes in 1992). Cretton's direction is otherwise unfussy with only a few flourishes. He lets the actors tell the tale and the cast are all quite good with Rob Morgan a particular standout as another condemned prisoner alongside McMillian. Joel P. West's smooth score accompanies the movie well.

JUST MERCY's finale can't help but bring bittersweet cheers and tears. The movie has done fairly well, but, Warner Brothers' decision to place it at the very end of Oscar qualification season kind of buried it (it also didn't help matters that CLEMENCY - another film dealing with Death Row - was released the same week).

 

[Jake Lipson]

I posted this in the bargains forum in the Digital Movie Deals thread, but just in case some people don't look there, I wanted to share here as well. Warner Bros. has made Just Mercy available as a free digital rental during the month of June across all digital platforms.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't already seen it. It's a great movie, and its message is extremely timely.

 

[Tino]

I posted this in the bargains forum in the Digital Movie Deals thread, but just in case some people don't look there, I wanted to share here as well. Warner Bros. has made Just Mercy available as a free digital rental during the month of June across all digital platforms.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't already seen it. It's a great movie, and its message is extremely timely.

And only $3.99 to purchase in 4K.... which I did blind.