User reviews

Just Mercy is a biographical legal drama co-written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. The film is based on Stevenson's 2014 eponymous memoir, in which he explored his journey to making his life's work the defense of African American prisoners. Michael B. Jordan plays Bryan Stevenson with Jamie Foxx joining him as Walter McMillian. The supporting cast has well known actors like Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, Brie Larson, Rafe Spall and O'Shea Jackson Jr. Jamie Foxx was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Both he and Michael B. Jordan won NAACP Image Awards for their respective roles. Both of them brought brilliant performances and did the people and the true story justice.

Just Mercy is about the world-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson who works to free wrongly condemned death row prisoners, among these is Walter "Johnny D." McMillian, an African-American man who was convicted of the 1986 murder of Ronda Morrison, an 18 year old white girl.

That's what Just Mercy is about and it's overall a great film, but most importantly an important story that was needed to be told. I also think the film is well shot and Destin Daniel Cretton's direction is excellent. The characters are distinct from each other and the actors playing them does an excellent job, mannerisms and accents, list goes on in how great they're. Strong dialogue to well written characters, just how it should be. But though the narrative and acting is great and often very memorable, the length is too long and the plot predictable and not as compelling as I had initially thought. But the message it's telling justifies the flaws, overall, Just Mercy is an amazing movie that needs to be seen at least once. I think it had the potential to be greater than it ended up being.

... and wonders why this didn't get nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, especially as Michael B. Jordan gives us a searing performance as a man intent on getting justice. An inspiration to us all and for always.

I was born and raised in Alabama. I left the state in 1966 for the Army and Vietnam. The facts of this true story sicken me, they embarrass me and they anger me.

Whether it's Walter McMillian in the 1990's Alabama or General Michael Flynn today, miscarriages of Justice and the blatant abuse of power have no place in a civilized society. Perhaps this film will make this clear to those who have difficulty grasping that simple concept.

I saw "Just Mercy" a few days ago at the Philadelphia Film Festival and was blown away by the film....and I consider it to be one of the best movies I've seen in recent years. I could easily see the picture receiving several Oscar nominations---especially for acting. Imagine my suprise when I looked on IMDB and saw a score of 5.6 and some negative reviews! I am not exactly sure what this is all about and perhaps it's because there are some angry pro-capital punishment folks or some who simply hate a film with a mostly black cast. All I know is that the film is a quality production and kept my interest throughout.

The story is based on the work of Bryan Stevenson, a Harvard graduate who chose to move to Alabama and work for a small salary to help examine the convictions of men on death row...men who in some cases were not guilty at all. How could anyone NOT applaud this sort of thing?!

Overall, a brilliantly written film that made me sad and angry....and I love when a film effects me that way. The acting was top-notch, the story magnificent and the writing amazing. Just ignore all the negativity and see this one....you'll be happy you did. As for me, I'd consider this perhaps the best American film of the decade...it's THAT good.

Was so hard to watch the police chief and the DA assume that just because you r black u r guilty. Was so impressed by the young black attorney--his drive even though he was subjected to brutality himself. Makes u look at death row in a very different light to be sure that those whom r there r truly guilty. Highly recommend this movie.

I enjoyed the movie and have no problems whatsoever with regards to being entertained while discovering a notable take on recent misjudgments from the history of the Deep South.

There is nothing substandard here. Proper screenwriting, fine acting, fairly delivered social commentary.

But also, there is nothing new. Every single aspect of this film had already made its way into cinema, and with even sharper tones. To Kill A Mockingbird (which is cited many times in the movie itself) aside, we got The Green Mile as an unforgettable fiction on racism-infused violations of lives and the horros of murder-by-state, a.k.a. Capital punishment. We saw Dead Man Walking, we saw Monsters' Ball. We not only know well the pillars on which this film was erected, but we also literally witnessed cinematic greatness thanks to several scenes that covered the transformations of people who in one way or another took part in or witnessed prison executions.

I'm not arguing that this story was not worth being told on the screen. What I don't get is why they shot it almost like a high quality TV movie, and never bothered come up with edgier moments.

I have this gut feeling that, those who are impressed by this movie have missed out on almost a dozen high-caliber, tough-to-swallow, groundbraking movies from the past decades.

Not a 6, not an 8, a solid and straight 7. That's it.

This movie had me in tears and is so relevant now. The ending message is so important at a time like this. The acting was phenomenal. I have not read the book, so am unable to compare the two. Jamie Foxx's acting was incredible. Do not pay attention to the reviews which say no new storyline or nothing groundbreaking. The racism and flaws prevalent in our criminal justice system deserve to be highlighted and emphasized time and time again. The characters in this movie are REAL people and that makes it all the more heart wrenching and impactful.

This fantastic and gripping real story is made for the cinema! I wasn't aware of this great and inspiring person and I am glad this movie introduced me to him and his life story!

While this story is mixes a lot of ups and downs, you can still feel dread at times. This all though builds up to an extend that rewards you and the director is able to get that feeling of relief, camaraderie and courage transported to YOU in the audience, no matter if you are black or white.

The end credits will give you goosebumps, with the expected real life footage that reminds you again, that most of what you've seen in the last 2 hours, really happened to people. This is exactly the thought you should leave the cinema with. Sometimes, it only takes one kind person to have a huge impact!

So moving, heartbreaking and upsetting: this movie needs to be seen and seen and seen (as it feels that not enough has been achieved to tackle the systemic racism of too many institutions).

If I was to list this film's greatest strength, that would be its ability to pull you into the characters' situation and feel their sense of frustration at the injustice they face. The film opens with one man being aggressively arrested for a crime he didn't commit, then transitions to a young student visiting prison for the first time, where he meets a peer who turns out to be more relatable than expected. From there, the audience sees how these men are driven, what they're fighting for, and how it effects their lives as well as the community around them.

Michael B Jordan, as usual, was fantastic. He did a great job portraying this young idealist who, despite being Harvard educated and possessing solid evidence, finds himself unable to make the difference he originally thought he could. Jamie Foxx's performance was also great; he displayed genuine vulnerability and emotion as this embittered, beaten-down (but still somewhat hopeful) man in a cruel world.

I had no issues with the technical aspects of this movie; they didn't do anything special nor did they do anything wrong. This being a legal drama, the script might feel a bit predictable to some, and some of the dialog/speeches seemed a bit too grandiose for real life. There are a few scenes, especially the two montages set to music, that felt a bit cliched, but this movie also has two particular sequences (which I won't spoil here) in the second half that are very effective and powerful.

Overall, this is a well-made and well-acted movie adapted from a pretty important true story, so I would recommend it to anyone interested in criminal justice or simply anyone who enjoys cinema made with a purpose. *P.S, don't watch the full trailer; it showed way too much from the third act of the movie. I don't count that against the film itself, as the marketing team is separate from the cast and crew, but I just wanted to warn people.

Very impressive movie, cried my eyes out during almost the entire movie. Kept me thinking about it for a long time.

First things first: I love this book, and I love Bryan Stevenson. So I was not walking into this film cold. In fact, I found myself wondering how they could possibly adapt a memoir that transcends many years and cases without becoming a confusing legal mashup with way too much talking. The good news is that the filmmakers brilliantly adapted the story: they zero in on a few key cases and the initial years of the Equal Justice Initiative, which provides a meaningful beginning/middle/end. They also got amazing performances from everyone involved, most notably Jordan and Fox. In short, it works better than I expected. That said, they still fell into the trap of characters providing exposition via dialogue and the story feeling a bit too much like previous legal dramas - earnest young lawyer, suspicious community, triumphant verdict (and some familiar Hollywood approaches to race, as well). Here's the thing, though: this story is actually true. Between that knowledge and the performances, I found myself pretty emotionally impacted, even if there were some flaws. I also got to see the way my 10 year old daughter reacted to the story, which reminded me that we need WAY more stories like this about people who are making the world a better place, one day at a time.

It highlights the shocking social injustice that some people receives. I am glad that there are people fighting for them, The story is emotional and very gripping. It brings me to tears!

This is such an important and beautiful film. Performances from the main cast were without a doubt oscar-worthy. The story was told so diligently, I have so much respect for the incredible individuals working at EJI. It's a hard-hitting film but definitely worth the watch.

An important film for our times about racial injustice and the cruelty that is the US criminal justice system. Very moving and powerful. Wonderful performances from the two main leads - Jordan and Foxx, with strong supporting performances from Brie Larson and Rafe Spall. Recommend to anyone who wants to become a lawyer or is just interested in US politics and history.

With source material (based on a true story) this compelling, a cast this littered with star power and legitimate award-winning talent, and a respected director (who directed "Short Term 12"), this movie should be been an unstoppable smashing success. It should have been GREAT. It should have won Oscars. But it didn't. It didn't because something is missing.

What exactly is missing is a bit hard to put a finger on. For some reason or another, the movie simply misses the mark. Part of the explanation involves the approach the film takes. Filmmakers clearly had seen other successful true stories that let the events speak loudly rather than attempt to falsely drum up intensity. They trusted that the story would be enough. And it is unquestionably an engrossing story, but that does not necessarily mean the movie will reach the heights that it should. Ultimately, the miscalculations of tone and lack of a visceral kick lead to the movie falling a notch below understated and landing somewhere in the dull zone.

I love Michael B. Jordan. He's one of the most talented actors of his generation and has been one of my favorites for the past decade. That's why I was disappointed by his performance here. He's a bit flat. In all the scenes featuring lingering shots of his face as he smolders with anger and sadness, I see very little depth. These sorts of shots appear in the film many times, and each time I kept searching for the layers of emotion in eyes and on his face, only to realize that there isn't much there. His emoting contrasts greatly with the instances when Jamie Fox and Rob Morgan have their opportunities. The deliver an emotional wallop whenever given the chance. Their towering displays make it all the more obvious that Jordan did not perform on their level in this movie.

It pains me to type this. I know in my heart that Michael B. Jordan will once again reach his top form in one of his upcoming movies. He's far too talented not to do so.

Overall, the movie needed a little bit more. The dialogue needed to be a bit sharper, for one. The story building also left a bit to be desired. In no way am I suggested that this is a bad movie - it's not. Actually, it's a pretty good one. Unfortunately, it had the potential to be so much more.

Intense courtroom drama based on actual events and based on the book by the same name, about a trainee lawyer who moves to Alabama to devote his career to defending the unfortunate community, the people who were not able to afforded appropriate defence (these were mostly black).

His first case was that of Walter McMillian, who was sentenced to death for the murder of a white woman. However, all the evidence showed that he was innocent, and it was more suspicious that the only testimony against him came from another criminal who was also on death row.

This film shows how corrupt the justice system can be, the poor and minorities are too often not treated equally. The post credit scenes tell you what happened to each of the people featured.

Highly recommended.

Phenomenal job by Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Foxx. Sad to see that we are still seeing this type of injustice. The only way this will be minimize is by educating ourselves and becoming lawyers, judges, politicians that will truly make a difference. Watching this movie most likely will make you angry, and emotional. We just need to better ourselves to make a difference in our communities.

First of let me get two things out of the way. There can never be enough movies against the death penalty. There can never be enough movies against racism. That being said you have already seen that movie and not just once. So from a story and directorial perspective there isn't really anything new. It will go to all of the usual steps that this subgenre has presented before. But even though it is always great when you put a new twist or perspective on something there is still nothing wrong presenting a story that is worth telling in a way that has to be proven successful. You will still be moved and there is particular one barbaric scene that will grab you but see for yourself.

I have been a fan of MIchael B. Jordan since his "Friday Night Lights" Days and even from "The Wire". He is good here but I noticed a familiar pattern here. He likes to act very small. He delivers emotions mostly through his eyes and that makes his acting feel a little stoic a little wooden at times because there is no body language, always keeping his very straight posture. But I have no doubt he will get his academy award some day. Brie Larson I don't know what went wrong here. She is given nothing. She doesn't really get a character and is basically just there to give files to Michael B. Jordan and give a quick pep talk. Jamie Foxx is really good in his role but neither him nor Jordan are the standouts here. Rob Morgan and Tim Blake Nelson deliver exceptional performances . There parts are small but they make the most of it. So if you want so see something that has worked before go see a pretty solid movie. If you are looking for something new, something innovative this is not the movie for you.

Walter "Johnny D" McMillian (Jamie Foxx) is wrongly convicted for the murder of a white woman and sentenced to death. In 1989, new Harvard law graduate Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) arrives in the small Alabama county to fight for the disenfranchised on death row with help from local Eva Ansley (Brie Larson).

This is real true life sincere advocacy docudrama. Jamie Foxx is doing great. Michael B. Jordan is holding back for the most part to play a stoic character until a few big emotional moments. The story is terrific and it's well told. It hits the right emotional notes. It really only falters when the movie tries too hard and it becomes a little preachy. Sometimes, less is more and this movie is plenty good enough.

Tim Blake Nelson is the almost-hidden-gem in this otherwise by-the-numbers film. His authentic and subtle portrayal of Ralph Meyer was a joy to watch. In every scene he gives us the raw and nuanced performance of a man beaten down since childhood. If only his fellow actors had brought the same intensity to the screen: it would have helped this film rise above its earnest but often superficial take on its core theme.

Seeing the movie and then reading about the actual events was a stark contrast.exaggeration after exaggeration was in the movie. I really hate that! Why can t the story be truthful to the facts! It would still be a powerful story because it was factual. The movie as made is false in many ways which i will refrain from detailing except for one point which is the current prosecutor immediately recognized the injustice and did not pursue a retrial. a very interesting story of a true case with false dialogue and inaccuracies. this is what Hollywood does too often. I suppose one more point ,his alibi about being at a fish fry was not something new as presented in the movie but was in his trial and rejected. why can t they make a movie based on the facts!!!