This is a biographical drama about the life's work of a black lawyer that wanted to bring justice to people who were wrongly condemned to the death row for crimes they didn't commit. The main case is that of a black man who simply because of his skin's color he was jailed and sentenced to death.
In the beginning, it appears this lawyer was only interested in black victims but by the end of the movie when we see real-life pictures about these people, there is one with all of the victims he helped and the majority of them were white. This means that more than a problem about racial discrimination this is a systematic problem that affects all kinds of people.
However, it is also true that in the main case the black victim suffered racial profiling from the state and the community. The film shows how these problems can deeply affect an innocent man as well as his family. There is a lot of drama going on in this movie and some parts can be quite touching.
Even though this type of story deserves to be told so people can learn about these problems, the movie's length doesn't serve it right. It could have been a bit shorter, the plot's complexity doesn't need 2:15 hours of time. This is simply a movie about a lawyer helping victims of a defective justice system, nothing too complex.
The best performance was from Jamie Foxx who played the main black victim and was wrongly accused of murder. He is not the main character but it was my favorite one. On the other hand, Michael B. Jordan, not the basketball player but the actor, did an acceptable performance as the lawyer and main character but at times he seemed to have a very simple attitude, lacking the intensity his role demanded.
This is a great biographical drama with a length that is a bit excessive but it is worth watching it nonetheless. It explores a sensitive topic in a very professional way, and the end result is more than satisfactory.
The best
- It provides valuable information about real-life cases of racial profiling.
- Good plot with a few well-known faces.
The worst
- The lead actor's performance was plain, it wasn't as emotional as it was trying to be.
More information: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/522212-just-mercy Review: AAA In numbers: 7/10