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Just Mercy (2019)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
1/21
1/21:
In light of the Black Lives Matter crap that had been going on lately, Just Mercy was either extraordinarily true or
extraordinarily manipulative, so I had to verify the info.
Well, having done my research, the story turns out to be true after all. As a result, the state of Alabama looks really,
really bad. I thought things had changed thirty years after the Civil Rights Movement. Apparently, it isn't the
case which even took place in the same town where Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, hailed from. Oddly,
the story is something I never knew about until seeing the movie.
Honestly, I don't have sympathy for prisoners, especially those on death row, because, 99.5% of the time, they're
guilty. The only expectation I have for law enforcement is this: they've done their job properly and put the right
people away. When a gross miscarriage of justice happens, then there's something wrong, and therefore, placing my faith
in the criminal justice system becomes a no-go.
The basic facts of the case are: on November 1, 1986, a white 18-year-old girl named Ronda Morrison was shot multiple times
in the back at Jackson Cleaners in Monroeville, Alabama. The cops couldn't find who did it for months, so they decided
to pin the murder on Walter McMillian, a black man with no prior felony convictions, and Ralph Myers, a white man who
happened to be a career criminal.
No physical evidence existed to link either to the crime. McMillian was seen by dozens of black people at a fish fry far
away when the murder happened at the same time. They were all ignored as witnesses. Yet after being arrested, McMillian
was placed on death row as if he had been found guilty before the trial was about to commence.
Under threat by cops, Myers decided to testify against McMillian to avoid the death sentence. Another three witnesses,
including one who was bribed by the police, just happened to see his "low rider" truck outside of the dry cleaners location
despite it, missing a transmission part, was not fixed until six months after the murder.
Consequently, Ralph Myers was sentenced to 30 years in prison while Walter McMillian was given the death penalty (the nearly
all-white jury recommended life but was overruled by the judge). The 1.5-day trial took place in Baldwin County where the
population was overwhelmingly white despite the murder taking place in black-majority Monroe County.
Four appeals were filed from 1990 to 1993 with all of them turned down by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. In the
1992 hearing to request a new trial, Ralph Myers recanted his false testimony by stating he was never there at Jackson Cleaners that day
and didn't know what happened which was corroborated by a long suppressed tape recording. The judge didn't care and therefore
denied the motion. Later the same year, a 60 Minutes segment was aired nationally which started
to turn the tide for McMillian's case, finally exonerating him the following year.
Everything I've described is exactly as shown in the film which makes it all extraordinary. I don't normally watch movies made
after 2005 because most of them suck and therefore aren't worth my time. Imagine my surprise when I saw how back-to-basics
Just Mercy was. Everything, down to the cast, is accurate, and they resemble the characters
in real life. The writing is sharp. Hence, what a surprise nobody was nominated for Oscars in any category.
There are many fine performances that are genuine. Of anyone, I have to say Tim Blake Nelson is the best. He
even looks like the guy himself: Ralph Myers. So, it's an amazing makeup job, making it impossible for me to see anything
fake. The next two are Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx: just outstanding and top-notch in a Denzel Washington way.
My only complaint is it's a bit too long. I think the feeling is mutual for a lot of
first-time viewers. Now, I know the story which turned out to be totally true. That being said, the next time I see the film,
I don't think it's going to be an issue anymore. Now, just remember this important fact: what happened to Walter McMillian
doesn't mean it occurs all the time; the accuracy of convicting criminals still remains over 90%, and there will still be outliers.
It's up to the people in position of power to make sure they do their jobs correctly.
All in all, as evidenced by the last two centuries of backwardness, there's something fundamentally wrong with Alabama.