JUST MERCY
Harvard Law School Grad Bryan Stevenson (Michael B Jordan) works for a community law organization as he tries to get retrials for many prisoners on death row including wrongly convicted Walter McMillan (Jamie Fox).
This film is packed with wonderful performances:
Highlighted by Jamie Fox's best performance since he played Ray Charles. He is on a different level here. If he does not get an Oscar nod something is wrong.
Michael B Jordan is surprisingly soft in this role, and it works. He is stoic while all the madness is going on around him.
Tim Blake Nelson as the slimy yet sweet Ralph Myers is just great with the side talking southern drawl and odd shuffle.
For some reason ignored in Oscar talk here is Rob Morgan as death row inmate Herbert Richardson. Oh my gosh with the slight stutter...the nervous ticks. Just great.
Problems?
The editing.
Where was the editor? Maybe the director Destin Cretton had final say and decided to not edit that much. I mean this is coming in at a looooong 2 hours and 15 minutes...and not much happens. We hear back stories to fill out the back story but do not see it. That was a bad decision I wanted to see what actually happen during the day in question!! It is a movie, not a book, show us! He decides to then just show us Stevenson running into walls over and over again during the legal process. it became redundant. Just a bad decision telling the story.
Also I had to wonder if most Brie Larson's character Eva Ansley was left on the cutting room floor. Her character was barely in the film and she was really not necessary.
Do not get me wrong...the film is good with just great acting, so it is worth a look, I just wish this wonderful story was tighter and more on point. 4 stars out of 5 for Just Mercy.
From the shadow as always thanks for your time.
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