DVD Talk reviews for Monday, April 20th, 2020
Just Mercy (Blu-ray)
by William HarrisonTHE FILM:
It is always sobering to watch films about injustice in the judicial system, particularly when the "long time ago" they depict is only a couple decades ago, specifically 1986, the year I was born. I wanted the events of Just Mercy to be a long time ago, particularly since they are based on the true story of Walter McMillian, a black man wrongfully convicted of murder based on little physical evidence and untruthful testimony. He relies on a young defense attorney, Bryan Stevenson, to appeal that conviction against incredible odds. Destin Daniel Cretton's film is based on Stevenson's memoir, "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption," and, while it occasionally suffers from the melodramatic pits of a Lifetime TV drama, Just Mercy is well acted and tells a sobering story.
Harvard Law School graduate Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) founds with Eva...Read the entire review »