“Just Mercy” is Just Fine

“Just Mercy”

Release Date: January 10, 2019

Runtime: 137 mins

Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton

Starring: Michael B. Jordan

                 Jamie Foxx

                 Brie Larson

                Tim Blake Nelson

Like most of us who were on campus about a year ago, I had the privilege of hearing civil rights champion, criminal defense attorney and anti-death penalty advocate Bryan Stevenson speak as part of the Complex Dialogues series. 

The new film adaptation of his book, “Just Mercy,” frames Stevenson, played by Michael B. Jordan, as the modern-day and, more importantly, real-life Atticus Finch. The murder which kicks off the plot takes place in the same Alabama town where Harper Lee wrote the Great American Novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In stressing this connection, the movie makes it clear the racist and broken justice system which convicted Tom Robinson in the novel despite a gaping lack of evidence is as real today as it was all those decades ago. 

This is a double-edged sword, though. The thematic content and literary allusions of “Just Mercy” hit hard and resonate deeply. At the same time, the main story does not set itself apart enough from other, similar stories.  Other than a few scenes here and there, it does not do anything I have not seen numerous times before. It also does not help when directing and cinematography do nothing special or interesting enough to keep me engaged with what I was looking at. Some engaging cinematography would have worked wonders.

“Just Mercy” is one of those movies which relies excessively on the “based on a true story” label. It seeks to justify the bland and unexceptional content by claiming it was how things really happened. The problem is great stories, no matter how interesting they may be, require skillful presentation to reach their full potential. This movie feels like a series of facts and events strewn together in a bland fashion. The same experience or better could likely be gotten by reading Stevenson’s book. Almost everyone who was at Oklahoma Christian last year has a copy laying around somewhere.

One thing which consistently impressed me were the performances. Jamie Foxx has been receiving the most praise and recognition for his portrayal of a man wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. He gets across the transition from hopeless resignation to an invigorated spirit eager to regain his freedom very well. However, I thought the rest of the cast also did well in their roles. Particularly stand-out to me was Tim Blake Nelson as the man whose eyewitness testimony is the centerpiece of the crooked trial. He gives not only a physical performance, speaking out of just one side of his mouth due to a large facial scar his character has, but also an emotional one. He is put into a position in which he can do the right thing while also damaging his own situation, and this internal struggle is done extremely well.  

Essentially, I can imagine “Just Mercy” being a great movie, or at least better than it currently is, if some decisions were made differently. As it is, though, “Just Mercy” is a perfectly average film which most people will enjoy to some degree. It does not do anything egregious and offensive nor unique and compelling. I do not regret having seen it or feel as if it was a waste of my time, but it is something I will probably never think about again. 

Drew Eckhart is a junior history and pre-law major from Edmond, OK. He has loved movies for as long as he can remember but thinks his passion really began when he watched “The Dark Knight” for the first time. His favorite type of movie blends comedy and drama seamlessly, and he loves great action films.  His favorite movie is “The Graduate.”

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