"Just Mercy" is a 2020 American biographical drama film directed by Destin Crichton and starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, and Brie Larson, based on Brian Stevenson's novel "Just Mercy: Suffering and Redemption in American Justice" based on real events tells the story of Brian, a lawyer who graduated from Harvard Law School, declined a good job opportunity and came to Alabama in the south of the United States. To provide legal assistance to disadvantaged groups who have been unfairly treated by justice, and he has to face not only the huge judicial system, but also the local deep-rooted racial discrimination.
Social status quo that needs to stand up to change
Do we go to the cinema to watch a movie to spend our free time on the weekend? Social entertainment with three or five friends? Enjoy the coolness of sound and light effects? Or do you want to get a different inspiration from the story? Personally, I've always seen film as a medium that can satisfy everyone's imagination of things through the screen, and allow us to look beyond the established horizon and see the world from a different perspective. Therefore, rather than simply telling the story of a lawyer who helped a death row inmate get his due sentence, "Justice Mercy" should be enlarged to the works that the creator hopes to make these events visible to more people.
Is "Just Mercy" good?
"Just Mercy" is reminiscent of Harper Lee's 1960 novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", located in Alabama, known as the "Cotton State" in the southeastern United States, because In the past, the industrial structure and conservative atmosphere prevailed. Not only did it cause controversy last year because male Republican congressmen forced the abortion ban to pass the Human Life Protection Act, but in 2011, it also issued an anti-immigration law that allows the police to check people's identities because of "reasonable suspicion". HB-56, this kind of racial prejudice and discrimination is still so serious today, especially in the 1980s and 1990s in the background of the "Just Mercy" movie.
Destin Creighton, a director who has always shown his concern for people in the underclass from the past works of "Juvenile Shelter" and "Glass Castle", this time, "Just Mercy" has been recruited because of his starring role in "Black Panther". "Michael B. Jordan, who became a black idol, Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, and "Captain Marvel" Brie Larson, who has collaborated many times and is usually quite concerned about social issues, focuses the story on a young lawyer Abandoning a bright future, he resolutely went to the countryside to care about the social disadvantaged who have no right to speak, so he saw the darkness and defects of the entire social system, and fully demonstrated the value and influence that a film should have.
The plot of "Justice and Mercy"
Perhaps the story of a small person like "Just Mercy" standing up to fight against the whole system seems old-fashioned and stereotyped, but the director combines the themes of race and court judgments to explore the widespread inequality in society and whether people should choose because of coercion The phenomenon of forbearance, under the blessing of the film's true story background, also through lawyer Brian, even though he was hindered by many difficulties, he still did not give up his inner persistence, dared to stand up to assist the victims, and did his best to speak up for many injustices , to give all viewers a reminder and encouragement to find their own conscience and not to ignore any small situations around their lives.
"A lawyer friend once told me that it's best to keep your distance from clients and not befriend them, but you let me know that's not true, because you can only know how to help them if you understand their situation." The interaction between lawyer Brian and death row prisoner Johnny D. From the beginning of Johnny D's disappointment with the judicial system, he was gradually moved by Brian's firm will, and the two trusted each other, and finally succeeded in getting the prosecutor to withdraw the prosecution. , Although there were indeed many disappointing setbacks and powerlessness in the middle, Johnny D always believed that Brian could help him redress, and no matter what the final result was, he thanked him for proving that he did not commit a crime in front of his family. Emotions are more moving.
The Characters of "Just Mercy"
Just as a society cannot be changed by the power of one person alone, "Just Mercy" does not make Brian Stevenson a heroic figure, not only spends many pages on staff such as Brie Larson The help of the prisoner's family, several inmates, or witnesses who can prove that Johnny D did not commit a crime and that he was threatened by the prosecutor and gave perjury are also a very important part of the film. Therefore, rather than the exciting court refutation, "Just Mercy" focuses more on the process of Brian's constant back and forth. Perhaps this makes the whole film rhythm slow and stagnant, but it is precisely this, which highlights the lengthy judicial lawsuit. Complicated, it is a painful torture for both sides.
And the film's portrayal of the young lawyer, the complex state of mind that is both strong-willed and a little confused, stems from what he saw and heard in Alabama, challenging his long-standing belief in the law. , Johnny D's case is not only to help people clear their grievances, but also to gradually understand how the system works, and to understand that the case is not only black and white, right and wrong.
The description of the social situation in "Just Mercy"
People are blinded by the widespread discrimination in society, and the police also arbitrarily use vulnerable groups as scapegoats to eliminate public grievances due to pressure from residents. Democracy can certainly make public opinion more valued, but it will also generate populism and affect the judiciary. independent situation. In the end, the focus of "Justice and Mercy" is no longer the Walter McMilley cases themselves, but the whole environment needs to be changed and corrected, and whether people can wake up and come forward to eliminate the unreasonable phenomena.
We should not regard "Just Mercy" as another film with a black or racial theme and a deliberate pursuit of political correctness. The whole film clearly tells the story of the impact of the judicial flaws in the United States and the subjective judgment of the police on the case at that time. The purpose of the existence of the law is only to set a minimum bottom line for people's social morality. It is undeniable that the judiciary has more or less gray areas that are difficult to identify and cannot implement justice. Therefore, instead of relying on the law to solve everything with this mandatory public right, why don't we start small and gradually improve everyone's justice. Moral literacy, making the whole society move in a more progressive direction?
Themes explored in "Just Mercy"
Whether the residents in the film hope that the murderer can get the punishment they deserve, or the relatives and friends of the criminal think the justice is unfair, "Just Mercy" starts from people's feelings of resentment and injustice against unreasonable social phenomena, which in itself has nothing to do with it. Problem, but as we often hear that after someone was arrested for committing crimes that are not justified by the heavens, netizens called on the masses to surround the police station, and even tried to use lynch violence to give the victim an explanation. These absurd situations do not also show that if Based on the wrong angle, the justice we pursue will lose the most primitive motivation to make society better, and become an excuse or tool for unilateral revenge and anger?
Perhaps the defect of the judicial system is a problem that has existed until now, but it cannot be denied that it is still worthy of our belief and to try to make it more perfect. The original title of "Just Mercy" is "JustMercy". It represents Brian Stevenson doing everything he can to achieve belated "imperfect justice" for these criminals, while telling the audience that everyone more or less needs and deserves it. The universal value of "forgiveness" and "compassion", and only by holding a heart of empathy and compassion, and helping the injustice in front of us, can the justice of this society be truly practiced.
The true meaning of "Just Mercy"
Therefore, when we see the plots of "Justice and Mercy" with such a deep sense of sight, will we still think that the United States in the 1970s in the film is very far away from us. Do you just forget it after reading it as a story? In fact, many similar events are still happening in our society until now, as in the sentence: "In many parts of the world, the opposite of poverty is not wealth, but justice." We choose to ignore it because we think we have no influence. Forbearance, hope these things will never happen to you? Or is it to gather the strength of the group to stand up bravely to fight?
"The Mercy of Justice" uses restrained and non-provocative narrative techniques to awaken the justice that speaks for unfairness in people's hearts. Personally, although watching the characters in the middle of the story suffer a lot of grievances, I feel a bit sore, but until the end of the film, the real characters are revealed The life story and the photos are compared with each other. The complex mood that is both touching and sad really brought me to tears, giving the audience a deep understanding that there are a group of people in the world who have experienced these things, and at the same time, there are also a group of people who are working hard to practice justice. , perhaps this is the greatest value of a true story adaptation of the film.
"Just Mercy" movie review conclusion
On the whole, "Justice and Mercy" can't help but remind me of the recently released "Breaking News". Through the film, lawyer Brian confronts serious racial discrimination in the local area. The referees and the audience are their people, and even the players are also affected. Under the threat of illegal means, the spirit of not giving up and adhering to his own ideals and goals aroused the conscience in the audience's hearts, and brought the positive energy of inspiring people, hoping that he could do something for the society, which was quite touching.
In addition, not only did several actors such as Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx perform brilliantly, although the film did not directly discuss whether the death penalty should be abolished, but also through the unjust prison incident, the prisoner's death before the execution. Long-term torment, and even the reaction of others to the passing of a life right in front of our eyes, to touch this sensitive issue seems to be something we need to think about now.
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