*Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx star in “Just Mercy,” the heart-wrenching story of Walter McMillian who was sentenced to death row for a crime he didn’t commit and Bryan Stevenson the young brave lawyer who took on McMillian’s case.
The story takes place in the deep southern state of Alabama, ironically in the same town of the book “To Kill a Mocking Bird” which was a fictional story of the same circumstance. But this is a sad case of life imitating art: Walter McMillian was accused of killing an 18-year-old white girl and was placed on death row before he was even convicted. His trail, by the way, only lasted a day and a half.
In “Just Mercy,” Jordan portrays Stevenson a young black lawyer from Harvard who decides he wants to help those affected by the racial and class bias in the judicial system. This film is emotionally heavy and you will not leave the theater the same person.
JENNIFER HUDSON KILLIN’ IT AS ARETHA FRANKLIN IN FIRST LOOK ‘RESPECT’ TRAILER – WATCH
Our correspondent L.Marie sat down with Jordan and Foxx to find out how they were personally impacted by this story.
“I walked away from this movie, uh, more informed you know, and educated on what really goes on in the judicial system and how things flow,” Jordan shared. “And definitely more motivated to be a part of the solution.”
Jamie Foxx adds to that sentiment by saying “He’s (Michael B. Jordan as Stevenson) doing what our past civil rights, ah, folks were doing, you know, on ground level but doing it on the biggest stage and that speaks volumes.”
AMANDA SEALES CALLS OUT KIM K FOR BEING A CULTURE VULTURE & WEARING ‘BLACKFACE’ IN NEW PHOTOSHOOT – WATCH
Many times, when movies like “Just Mercy” come out, we, the black community, feel as if we are tired of seeing our struggle. But the fight continues and actors like Michael B. Jordan are using art as the platform for the world to see our struggle and bring to light the injustice we still face today. This story doesn’t take place in the 1800s or early 1900s before most of us were born. It takes place in the recent past … the 1980s … less than forty years ago.
Also, the film not only focused on Walter McMillian’s situation but also other real-life inmates who were dealing with a similar injustice. Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson takes on all of these cases and starts the Equal Justice Initiative and despite his life being threatened, he still decided to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.
“Just Mercy” opens in theaters Christmas Day. It is a film everyone should see.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
