It is very strange to me as to why this film has been shut out of the Oscar conversation for weeks now. Destin Daniel Cretton's Just Mercy is a solid legal drama that attempts to tackle a lot of different moral issues. Even though I found a lot of this film's elements regarding storytelling to be mediocre at best, this really seems like one that Academy voters would absolutely eat up. Some excellent performances and an expectedly cathartic conclusion tie up this film with a nice, emotional bow but I simply wish that some more innovative choices could have been made in the script to distinguish this film as a much stronger, standalone story. However, I did find this movie to be efficient in all of the best ways and it is impossible to deny that Cretton knows how to impact an audience, doing just that throughout this film. The fact that Warner Bros. is instilling their entire energy in the eleven nominations for Joker is a bit disheartening, especially when there is a passionate film like this one sitting right there.
A recent Harvard Law graduate named Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) moves out to Alabama in order to defend death row inmates along with the help of his business partner Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). When he is assigned the case of the accused Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), Stevenson realizes that his client might be the victim of framing all along and decides to take on the Alabama justice system in order to prove McMillian's innocence. This true story is adapted from the novel of the same name by Bryan Stevenson himself and the script helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham does this story incredible justice. This script, while a bit dull at times and paced strangely, provides a lot of characterization for these people and the struggles that they had to fight through. These screenwriters do a fantastic job of making these people intensely relatable and the way that they relate many of these characters' conflicts with topics still relevant today is applaudable. The direction from Cretton is also an element of this film that I feel was not the greatest choice, unfortunately. One of my favorite and most important films is Cretton's Short Term 12, as that indie feature is nothing short of an extraordinary act of heartfelt, human storytelling. This would make it seem that Cretton's incredible directorial style would be perfect to tell this kind of story about injustice but I do not think that he thrives as well in a bigger budget, studio setting. What makes Short Term 12 so special is how delicately the story is told and how it flawlessly tackles some sensitive subjects. However, I feel like that direction works best with a smaller, indie budget and Just Mercy's studio system-level demand is a bit too overwhelming. This movie tries very hard to address a plethora of topics, including racial issues in the South, police brutality, and the often unfair legal system. Audiences have no shortage of these kinds of stories and I sadly do not think that this film had much more to say or add to the conversation. The story itself is very heartbreaking and Cretton does a fantastic job bringing out the expected emotions, but my main issue is just how generic it all felt. This film also utilizes real-life footage and pictures towards the end and while that creative choice was a bit typical, I am glad that Cretton was able to at least make this film a touch more like his own style.
Cretton's style can be very clearly seen in the cinematography from Brett Pawlak as well. The slight, shaky movements of the camera during the sequences in the prison and the wide use of the lens to establish the setting of Alabama that envelops this entire story is something that Cretton is definitely known for. His stylistic choices are great and his work with Pawlak really helps to define them from the rest. In a film like this that tackles these racial themes and uses a very limited range of audio other than the human power of the spoken voice to convey its tone, performances are pivotal. Cretton has collaborated with Brie Larson on most of his filmography so her inclusion was not a surprise to me, just like how strong her performance was. She is undoubtedly one of the best dramatic actresses and it was great to see her back in a role such as this one. The standouts, however, were Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx in their leading roles. These two provided such emotional standout performances that, all other movies aside, would have definitely earned them at least a nomination. While they might be working with a limited amount of genuine screenwriting, they pull off such believable portrayals of these two men. The tension based on the conflicting reasoning that these two characters often had also made their chemistry so authentic. They completely embodied the multi-dimensionality of Stevenson and McMillian and the bond that they form throughout this story is amazing. There are also some great supporting performances from Rafe Spall as the film's antagonistic Southern lawyer and Tim Blake Nelson as a supposed witness during McMillian's alleged crime. Even with a stale script, Cretton does the best he can with the heart of this film and its vulnerable emotions, but the solid performances are what truly carry it up to the next level.
Just Mercy might not be the strongest or most memorable legal drama regarding race ever made but it does everything right to keep my attention. Jordan, Foxx, and Larson all turn in incredible performances to hold this story together and while audiences have heard about this kind of injustice for years, it thankfully does not make this story any less impactful. I would definitely recommend this film for fans of the genre and hopefully, it can garner a bit more appreciation once the awards season madness dies down.
My Rating: ★★★½
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