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One Man’s Fight for Justice: A TIFF Review of ‘Just Mercy’
September 17, 2019Britany Murphy
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It's not unheard of to hear about a person being wrongfully accused of a crime, especially if the one who was falsely arrested is a person of color. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Just Mercy attempts to shine a light on such atrocities by showing the stories of real people who have been wrongly imprisoned and are serving time on death row. Set in late '80s Monroe County, Alabama, this real-life legal drama stars Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson, an ambitious young attorney fresh out of Harvard who spends most of his time helping those on death row, making it his mission in life to defend those that the justice system has so clearly failed. After taking on the case of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), who is falsely accused of murdering an 18-year-old white woman, Stevenson eventually brings the case to the state's Court of Appeals in a fight for McMillian's exoneration. Based on a true story and bolstered by pitch perfect performances from its cast, Just Mercy is a film that is timely and serves as a lesson to all, reminding us that true justice cannot truly be served if the laws of equality are not the same for every person — no matter their race, gender or creed. |
Just Mercy makes its world premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. Its runtime is 2 hrs. 16 min.
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