An unmissable death-row drama
JUST MERCY I Destin Daniel Cretton’s courtroom drama practises what it preaches.
Frances McDormand introduced the concept of the ‘inclusion rider’ to many via her 2018 Oscars acceptance speech and there has been some industry change since. But for Michael B. Jordan it’s not just an ideal, it’s a mission statement for his newly formed production company, Outlier Society.
Which is why he felt such a good fit for the latest project of Short Term 12’s Destin Daniel Cretton – an adaptation of lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s memoir, Just Mercy, tracking his fight to provide fair legal representation to death row inmates banged up on dodgy evidence in a discriminatory American justice system. In his book, Stevenson recalls his attempts to overturn a murder conviction on Walter McMillian in ’80s Alabama while exposing the institutionalised racism of a region built on slavery.
“There was something about his open heart that made Michael B. the first person that I even thought about [to play Stevenson],” Cretton tells Teasers. “From his first role on
The Wire, up to playing a villain in a Marvel movie, you always see his heart, no matter what character he’s playing. That’s the core of this story: it’s a lawyer with a true heart and love for the clients that he’s serving.”
Jordan not only brought the requisite on-screen compassion, but provided it off-screen as well. “He really helped us shape the spirit that we wanted to have on the set,” says Cretton. “Having the inclusion rider was a big part of that. We wanted a set that informed, and was aligned with the heart of the book.”
It was Jordan as producer and star who helped steer the casting of McMillian towards Jamie Foxx in order to create a two-hander of real power that’s now attracting awards buzz. “It was really special to see them work together,” Cretton nods. “They’re such a team, in bouncing things back and forth, and creating moments in a scene that either were not in the script, or surprised all of us.”
With strong reactions coming out of its TIFF premiere plus real-life inspiration, pertinent subject matter and stellar performances, it’s little wonder Just Mercy feels like it could match the trajectory of Green Book. But Cretton was determined the film didn’t ‘feel like a white-saviour story’ and spoke to current events as much as the historical past.
“The way that Bryan really very delicately and intricately draws the line between slavery and the era of lynching and mass incarceration throughout history, while introducing you to these characters who are currently affected by it – it was pretty shattering to me. But it also left me, in the end, with so much inspiration and hope and a connection to humanity.” Sounds like an Oscar contender to us…