After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or those not afforded proper representation. One of his first cases is that of Walter McMillian, who is sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence. In the years that follow, Stevenson encounters racism and legal and political manoeuvrings as he tirelessly fights for McMillian's life.
Just Mercy takes us on quite a journey, exploring a lot else which gives the audience much to think about, relating to the criminal justice system, racism and law enforcement. I think that these kinds of films are special because they don't just tell a story but they send a message, all whilst providing a really engaging storyline for 2+ hours. The film feels like a big risk though, not only does it challenge the criminal justice system, but it completely rubbishes it, which feels very creative yet risky, although it seems to have paid off so far. Although the main question is, is the film a failure or is it so good that it really is the film we need right now and good enough to send a message whilst entertaining audiences? Here are my thoughts...
I’ll start off by saying that ‘Just Mercy’ doesn’t only have one of the best stories that I have ever seen from a film, but the way and manner in which it delves into the emotional impact and stories of the characters are just absolutely fantastic, resulting in a storyline which not only feels extremely immersive but also gripping and powerful, leaving a large and lasting impression long after leaving the cinema. In short, the story and execution of it is absolutely fantastic, but I’ll delve more into that to show why. The film starts off in a really strange and weird manner, but as the film progresses it seems to make more sense and actually provides a really important and useful insight into the various character types and the criminal justice system. The film starts off really nicely using shots of police brutality and the theme of racism, this provides a really immersive insight not only into the characters but also the storyline, seeing how prisoners were treated during the introduction of the film not only helps to personify the emotion of shock for us, but it also introduces the film as a really powerful one too.
One of the elements to the film which is especially powerful and feels really well executed is the execution and flow of the story, not only does the film build up the main story really well but it also maintains an excellent flow, meaning that from scene to scene such as interviewing prisoners on death row to working on the cases it feels really fluid and simple to follow, the actual case is established and built up really well too, helping to build interest, emotion and excitement surrounding it by implementing a really strong theme of emotion in order to really have a strong and gripping effect on us, which helps to keep the viewer interested and really engaged. As well as this, the introduction of the storyline through interviews and following Bryan’s story from an intern to a full-on lawyer really gives the film a personal feeling which makes it much more powerful and engaging, we can actively see Bryan’s story which gives his role a real purpose and meaning, not only can we really see why he chooses to become a lawyer but the film takes this knowledge that it gives us and then develops it whilst keeping us engaged, which is great from the film and helps to give it a really strong insight into the characters and gives them a feeling of progression and development throughout which makes them feel genuine and real.
The film relies heavily on the emotion of shock in order to provide key scenes with a level of excitement and surprise, and these scenes really help to give the film a special and unique feeling because of the nature of them, scenes such as phone threats using racist words and violent threats due to Bryan’s role in Alabama feels like a crucial point in the film, not only does it disrupt the flow of the film but it evokes a series of emotions, sadness, shock and anger. Scenes like this are really key to the film and really help to create a real and realistic sense of racism within the film, which helps to ensure that the film is purposeful and can be taken seriously, as well as this, these types of scenes are key to reminding us that the film isn’t just supposed to be watched, but it wants to leave a long-lasting impression and by using critical scenes like this, it does.
The film engages with us on a level which just outshines so many other films though, seeing how the film not only personifies the personalities and emotions of the different characters through emotional and powerful scenes, but also it engages with us so well by progressing the story in a way which goes into enough depth to provide a well-rounded story, but not too much depth so that we lose focus of the characters and their purposes too, scenes such as Bryan being strip-searched, being pulled over and being followed all help to personify and magnify the emotion of fear and tension to us, and helps to keep us on edge for the majority of the film – which in turn provides an important insight not only into how scary racism can be for many people but also the unpredictable nature of the film too.
I absolutely love the story of this film though, because not only does it feel purposeful and engaging but it is incredibly well put together, which makes it a joy to watch from start to end, even if it is difficult to watch in some parts, what makes this film so good though is just how well it immerses us within the ecosystem of the film, seeing how inmates on death row interact with each other, as well as how Bryan interacts with Eva (Brie Larson) and the shock that they evoke as characters and how this matches our emotions is just really great, because the film progresses and develops in a way which builds up the story and creates an emotional and powerful connection to the characters, and then it takes this and really provides an engaging story with a real purpose. The actual story though is surprisingly simple and easy to follow given the complexity and emotional nature of the film, not only do scenes flow together nicely but the variety of perspective camera shots help to immerse us within the perspectives of both groups of characters, which gives us a rounded view as to the general feeling of the film at key points, seeing how different groups of characters react to the killing of Herbert feels powerful and helps to tell the story of the film really well, it isn’t massively simple but that’s what makes it so good because it transports us through a really powerful and emotional journey whilst giving us a real set of characters and scenarios which sticks with us. I think one of the key things that help to contribute towards the impact that the film has aswell is that it is based on a true story, this helps to really solidify the fact that the events and situations actually happened which creates a really important feeling to the film.
The film also includes some incredibly powerful emotions through well thought out and incredibly detailed scenes which just left the whole theatre in absolute silence, awe and dread as to what was happening in front of us, rarely do films come around that have such a powerful and gripping emotional impact on its audience, ‘A star is born’ had this, ‘Joker’ did too but it's rare to have scenes like this film does which are just so great but don’t feel out of place with the rest of the film. The key scenes are Herbert’s execution and the extremely emotional scene at the end where Rafe realises his wrongdoing and ultimately supports the decision to set Walter free and to save him. These two scenes are extremely powerful and even though there are plenty of other powerful scenes, these two capture the feeling and emotion of the film perfectly, not only does the film use crucial scenes like this to create and increase tension, but also to really evoke an emotional response from us in order to really strengthen the message of the film.
They’re really slowly drawn out which has a really good effect, not only does it help to really build up our nerves, but it allows us to immerse ourselves in what is happening, as well as the emotions of the characters and the general responses from them, I won’t lie during Herbert’s death, his fear and scared nature of being executed also really magnifies this, as well as the impact on other characters meant that I had to wipe a tear away from my eye, it was incredibly emotional and executed as part of the film excellently. This film really is engineered to tell a story whilst sending a message and it does that perfectly in a really memorable way. The story of the film is also really enjoyable, not only does the progression in the case feel enjoyable to experience and follow, but new leads and evidence found feels really exciting, and the film gets us involved within the different cases really nicely.
As well as this though, the characters of the film are integral to the success of the film, and feel equally as good as the story does, if not better. I’ve been saying this for a while now but Michael B Jordan is an absolutely great actor, he was great in Creed 1 & 2, he was great in Black Panther and he’s exceptional here, he is often let down by a poor storyline or a poor character choice but this is where he shines, and he is absolutely fantastic here, his speeches feel so passionate and from the heart that I wouldn’t be surprised if they were from Martin Luther King himself, not only does his character feel passionate though but it’s a really raw and intense performance from him and this is 100% his best performance to date.
On the whole, though all of the acting here is great, not only does Brie Larson also put in a great performance as his support, showing a great variety of emotions throughout but also Jamie Foxx and the various other key characters are great here, showing a great range of emotions and genuine performances, making them feel like real people instead of movie characters. I was thoroughly impressed with the acting here, it was immense. It’s all too easy to lose hope here. McMillian’s time on death row has hollowed him out – he’ll crack jokes with the other inmates or pass the time listening to the radio, but it feels slight and inauthentic. In that regard, Jamie Foxx’s performance is transformative; there’s no hint of the charismatic movie star here, only the stillness of a man who’s already resigned himself to a kind of living death.
The actual character models were great too and definitely contributed a lot to the film. What I like though is how the criminals aren’t just portrayed as people we should feel sorry for, or even hatred for, but their emotional and passionate personalities help to provide insights into the emotions behind death row, as well as the brutality from police that goes on behind closed doors, these emotional in-depth analogies provide a really important and refreshing insight into the topic of death row – whilst providing a gripping storyline. As well as this though, the dialogue is fantastic, not only do the characters really feel passionate about what they are saying, but the dialogue really feels like it adds value, and impacts what characters do and what they say, changes in dialogue types and volume are all small features which are implemented which contribute to a really realistic character set and series of interactions. When characters say goodbye for the last time, they show the emotion in their voices, as if they were really leaving for good. Not only do these interactions help to show the characters feelings accurately but they also personify emotions surrounding the criminal justice system, and how both the police and criminals feel.
It is clear that a lot of attention to detail was put into the characters though, small things like characters not looking through evidence, suggesting civil rights museums, police officers giving dirty looks all really help to capture the overall feel and purpose of the film well whilst adding value to the story. The film delves into the stories of the characters in depth too, which adds value to the film and gives them a genuine purpose to be there, other prisoners aren’t just there to make up for numbers in the cast, but they have a purpose such as knowing evidence or adding emotional value to the film. Even performances from police officers with subtle dialogue to personify the racist theme of the film, and to belittle characters feels really powerful too and is an important factor in building up the characters and their stories. This film really grips you with its amazing and in-depth characters, great performances from actors, and its incredible storyline.
If I’m honest there wasn’t much wrong with the film, although the main problem for me is that there seems to be a lack of a proper and in-depth introduction for Bryan, it would have been really interesting to see some of his life experiences beforehand, he mentions his Grandfather being killed when he was younger but it would have been nice to really delve into his background and past experiences so that we could really understand how these impact him throughout the rest of the film. As well as this, I don’t feel that the establishment of the actual story relating to the death penalty lawyer organisation that he runs is introduced to us in enough depth, I longed for more information which provided a little more context as to the story, I liked the internship scene at the start of the film but it just felt like a little more would have been beneficial to establish this.
Overall, I would give this film a 10. It was absolutely fantastic in the way that it delves into characters' stories, as well as how well it entertains and provokes a variety of really engaging emotional responses from us throughout. This film is absolutely full of so many special scenes which just provide such an invaluable insight into the criminal justice system, whilst really building a character set which feels genuine, realistic and special. Every single scene was fantastic and feels perfected when you have films like this with minimal/no scenes or problems then it really puts into perspective how good the film is, and there aren’t many films which have been recently released which can argue that they do the same in my opinion. As well as this, the film tells a story and tells it very well, it is one of the most important and powerful films that I have ever seen, it just really sticks with you long after leaving the theatre, I also like how it doesn’t stop with a single conviction as it continues to delve into the death penalty as a whole, and debating against it being used. And to finish off this masterpiece, showcasing the real-life characters as the end is an incredible way to really provide a hard-hitting and emotional ending to the film, seeing the responses that the real people had when they were released and provides a horrifying statistic that 1 in 9 people killed on death row are innocent. A great way of keeping the theme of the film on your thoughts after leaving the cinema... Would I recommend this film? 100%, not only does it guarantee to entertain, but the acting is to such a high standard that it feels like a special film which will really help to send a strong message to many about the death penalty, and the failures of the criminal justice system. Missing out on this film would definitely be a shame and a missed opportunity.
Thank you for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did watching the film and writing this review, I hope you have a lovely day! If you would like to check out my Official Facebook page where you can see sneak previous and more film insights then please consider checking out the link below!
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