Just Mercy turns the true story of Bryan Stevenson into a straightforward legal drama, and for the most part it works. Michael B. Jordan plays Stevenson as a Harvard-trained lawyer who moves to Alabama to defend poor people on death row, while Jamie Foxx plays Walter “Johnny D.” McMillian, a man convicted of murder whose case rests on the testimony of a lying witness. The film is based on Stevenson’s 2014 memoir, and it follows his fight to free McMillian from a conviction that everyone except the judge believes is wrong.
The setup is simple. Stevenson finds himself in a courtroom where the system is rigged against his client, and the film spends its runtime showing him push back against that rigging. Brie Larson shows up as Eva Ansley, his partner at the Equal Justice Initiative, and Rob Morgan and Tim Blake Nelson round out the cast as witnesses and allies caught up in the same broken system.
Trailer, via Warner Bros..
The Case at the Center
The film’s central conflict comes down to one witness, Ralph Myers, whose testimony holds the prosecution’s entire case together. Stevenson learns that Myers is a convicted felon who gave contradictory statements to get a plea deal. He also learns that a witness named Darnell Houston was with McMillian at the time of the murder, and that Houston’s account would destroy the prosecution’s case. When Houston refuses to testify after being threatened, the film puts Stevenson in a corner where he has to find a way to expose the truth without losing the man who knows it.
“Every generation has its hero. Meet ours.”
That tagline sells the film’s moral purpose, and the movie mostly earns it.
Where the Film Falls Short
The problem is pacing. At 137 minutes, Just Mercy takes its time getting to the heart of the case, and some stretches feel like filler rather than character development. The film’s middle section, where Stevenson reviews evidence and meets clients, slows down without building tension. That’s a shame, because the stakes — a man’s freedom and the integrity of a justice system that has treated him unfairly — are established early and never waver.
Foxx deserves credit for carrying the film’s emotional core. His performance as McMillian anchors the story, and his scenes with Jordan are among the film’s best. Jordan is solid as Stevenson, but the role requires less range than Foxx’s, and the film doesn’t always give him room to stretch.
The Numbers
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 137 minutes |
| Premiere date | September 6, 2019 |
| Release date | December 25, 2019 |
| Gross | $50 million |
| SAG nomination | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role |
| Image Awards | Won by both lead actors |
Final Word
Just Mercy isn’t a perfect film, but it is a necessary one. It tells a true story about injustice and the people who fight it, and it does so with a cast that commits to the material. The film’s flaws — slow pacing, uneven characterization — do erode its power over time, though the underlying story remains compelling enough to overcome them.
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