The death penalty continues to be a hotly debated aspect of the American justice system. Its constitutionality is still being challenged in courts as innocent people are being released from prison following exoneration on an almost monthly basis. The push to free the innocent from both prisons and death sentences have been taken up by lawyers nationwide and one of the most famous attorneys contributing to the cause is now being immortalized in film. Just Mercy documents the true story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) who, after graduating from Harvard, moves to Alabama to start the Equal Justice Initiative defending the wrongly condemned on Death Row. With the help of local advocate Eva Ansley (Brie Larson), Bryan takes on the case of Walter “Johnny D” McMillian (Jamie Foxx), who was sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl despite evidence to the contrary. In order to free Walter, Bryan must maneuver Alabaman racism and institutional bias as he fights for Walter.
Just Mercy seeks to provide a thorough, all-encompassing look at the death penalty as practiced within the American justice system and accomplishes its goal not just by examining the effect a death sentence has on the convicted alone, but how the fallout represents a second death sentence for that prisoner’s loved ones and their community writ large. The effect that Johnny D’s incarceration has on his family is shown to be immense and painful. His children have grown from grade school aged to nearly full-fledged adults and gone with their childhood are all of the irreplaceable moments of growing up that parents dream of being there to experience. His wife has also had to deal with raising their children while trying to hold out hope that her husband’s innocence could one day be proven. And the black community from which Johnny D came must also live with yet another reminder of the precarious nature of their lives in the small-town south where at any moment, they could come into danger just by virtue of who they are. The mental and physical effects of racial discrimination on those who are targeted by it are still being discovered and studied, but the role that our environment plays in how we live our lives is undeniable. Witnessing consistent miscarriages of justice not only negatively impact the lives of those directly targeted, but society at large as they’re forced to watch helplessly, wondering if they could someday be next.
What prevents Just Mercy from becoming an after school special, surface level film about the death penalty is the subplot surrounding Herbert Williamson (Rob Morgan), a death row inmate and Vietnam veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress who has confessed to the killing for which he has been convicted, a departure from his fellow inmates. By exploring Herbert’s experience and humanity as someone who is actually guilty, Just Mercy delves into the moral and ethical dilemma surrounding death sentences and whether it is just (no pun intended) to take one life in defense of another; away from the cut and dry case of an innocent person being sent to their death. In the film, it is constantly affirmed by EJI’s attorneys and staff, and Herbert’s fellow inmates that although he is guilty of killing another, the circumstances of his life are extenuating, and his being killed in light of them is undeserved and serves no one. Herbert himself plays the role of questioning whether or not this is true, saying that his stay on death row is understandable and different from Johnny D’s situation. This philosophical question is at the heart of the debate surrounding the death penalty and contains a multitude of perspectives. What is the ultimate restitution that can be paid for taking the life of another? Is the state capable of making that determination or is its biases, or the biases of those that inhabit it, too much to overcome to achieve true justice?
Just Mercy is loaded with superb performances from its cast, almost too many to list in this review. While Michael B. Jordan and Brie Larson bring the star power, and Jamie Foxx has garnered the biggest awards buzz leading up to the film’s release, I came away being most impressed by the performance of Rob Morgan as Herbert Williamson. His mini-arc in the film not only provided the most thematic depth in Just Mercy, but his performance as a mentally ill man broken by decisions made when unwell and cast aside by a society that should have helped him may be the film’s most haunting and impactful. The depiction of his execution is one of the most haunting scenes of the year and perhaps the most powerful statement about the death penalty ever put to film. Foxx may have more star power, but Morgan deserves more acclaim for his work than he has received. Despite how great Morgan was in his role, Foxx does still do a good job here as Johnny D in a highly emotional role. Juxtaposed with Herbert’s resignation, Foxx does well in showing the mental turmoil of being sentenced to die for a crime you are innocent of and having to face an entire government apparatus determined to keep that fact under wraps. The rollercoaster of emotions this would have on a person are well acted by Foxx and he brings Johnny D and his plight to life. Tim Blake Nelson is also compelling as Ralph Myers, the lone eyewitness to Johnny D’s alleged crime and a career criminal caught between a rock and a hard place in the case. Nelson balances levity and seriousness well in his portrayal and is the source of multiple tense moments in the film. His performance here is another in what has been a breakout year for him when added to his small screen work on HBO’s Watchmen series.
Just Mercy is a powerful examination of the American justice system and the place that the death penalty has within a society. It attempts to explore the punishment in totality, not just focusing on an obvious miscarriage of justice, but also the appropriateness of state sanctioned killing even in the case of a guilty party through the inclusion of Herbert Williamson’s story. The film is fantastically paced, never really feeling like the nearly two and a half hours that it is. Any rush for a conclusion felt while watching is moreso due to the hope that a happy ending can finally be achieved for Johnny D after the emotional connection established between the character than the audience than the wish that the film would finally just end. The ensemble cast is a strong one, led by Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, but finding its strength in the supporting actors, most notably Rob Morgan and Tim Blake Nelson. The experience is sure to be an impactful one for viewers.
Image: Warner Bros.
