Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Just Mercy Blu-ray Movie Review

To serve and protect.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 6, 2020

Destin Daniel Cretton's Just Mercy is the kind of steady, self-assured adult drama that's easy to take for granted, and doubly so for its unwavering commitment to optimism in the face of cruelty. Although it bears the dreaded "based on a true story" badge, at least this is a good one: it focuses on lawyer/activist Bryan Stevenson and the early years of his Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization that offers pro bono legal assistance to wrongly imprisoned men and women in the state of Alabama. It's a somewhat predictable and clichéd but emotionally resonant film, one that is so morally tied to its outstanding real-world cause that Just Mercy is worth watching for the subject matter alone.

The main narrative arc begins in 1989, two years after Alabama native Walter "Johnny D." McMillian (Jamie Foxx) was arrested for the murder of young white local Ronda Morrison. Despite his pleas of innocence and a shocking lack of physical evidence linking him to the crime, Johnny D. now sits on death row awaiting execution. He's approached by eager young Harvard law graduate Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), whose own life circumstances have prompted him to aid victims of injustice. Bryan, along with his dutiful colleague Eva Ansley (Brie Larson), quickly pieces together the fragmented case that landed Johnny D. in prison: it was fully built around the testimony of convicted felon Ralph Myers (Tim Blake Nelson), who received a lighter sentence after naming Johnny as the murderer. Now seeking a retrial based on his findings, the young lawyer faces a near-impossible challenge once he realizes the level of corruption and racism that courses through Alabama's legal system. Simply put, Bryan might be in way over his head.

Just Mercy takes its time from start to finish, letting the main story unfold naturally without feeling too rushed or padded along the way. A number of smaller narratives are also introduced such as the slow but steady growth of Equal Justice Initiative, the emotional plight of Johnny D.'s struggling family led by faithful wife Minnie (Karan Kendrick), and Bryan's other legal cases involving Johnny D.'s fellow death row inmates Anthony Ray Hinton (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) and Herbert Richardson (Rob Morgan). The latter is directly involved in one of Just Mercy's most chilling and emotionally devastating moments, one that drives the main narrative forward through the third act into a somewhat stunted but nonetheless emotionally effective climax. If there's one role-related area where Just Mercy could have improved, it would've been a more full-bodied examination of its central character -- but then again, it's based on Stevenson's own best-selling memoir, so one can expect the story and film to have a somewhat homogeneous tone.

The production also occasionally suffers from "made for TV" syndrome, compounded by a few clichés that are, to be fair, all but hard-wired into the majority of vintage and modern-day courtroom dramas alike. Luckily, its central and supporting performances range from good to outstanding, with Jamie Foxx, Rob Morgan, and Tim Blake Nelson being immediate standouts for their measured and often riveting turns. Composer Joel P. West also contributes a terrific original score that adds plenty of much-needed texture to certain scenes without being too "on the nose" during the film's biggest emotional moments. These factors elevate Just Mercy to slightly greater heights and, as mentioned earlier, its real-world subject matter is morally compelling enough to give this dramatization an easy pass.

Although sadly not available on UHD (even more so, due to its native 4K source material), Just Mercy makes for a decent enough Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Home Video. It features an understated by excellent 1080p transfer and a surprisingly refined Dolby Atmos mix, both of which easily outpace the disc's somewhat lackluster bonus features. It's well worth looking into, whether your enjoyed Just Mercy during its brief theatrical run or are coming in blind.

Just Mercy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unfortunately, like several other recent WB films that didn't set the box office on fire, the 4K-sourced Just Mercy has only received a Blu-ray option. But that's hardly a major cause for concern: as-is, this beautiful 1080p transfer pushes the limits for this format, wringing out every available ounce of fine detail while maintaining a respectably smooth and polished appearance that's true to the film's digital roots. While Just Mercy may not offer a lot of ambitious visuals -- it's mostly suburban interiors, courtrooms, fluorescent offices, etc. -- the film is still very nice to look at, with well-lit and nicely framed compositions that occasionally showcase a good amount of depth and flair. Earth tones are prominent and, while the palette typically leans more towards muted colors, there are exceptions that add a certain amount of visual interest. Overall, it's just a nicely-rendered transfer that, thanks to this Blu-ray's excellent compression and high bit rate, is almost completely devoid of digital eyesores like compression artifacts and banding; what few that remain are likely due to format limitations, and are so infrequent that they're hardly worth mentioning.

Just Mercy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Just Mercy's audio also surprises in unexpected places. While it seems unusual that this rather down-to-Earth drama would be granted a full-blown Dolby Atmos mix that's been preserved for the Blu-ray, the format's trademark use of a dynamic "sonic bubble" manages to create a very refined and intimate atmosphere that's peppered with interesting little touches along the way. Some are entirely natural such as ambient outdoor affects, echoing dialogue within large, crowded rooms, and the long hallways of the prison facility; others are more manufactured but no less effective, like the nicely textured original score by prolific young composer Joel P. West. Like the visuals, Just Mercy's audio mix doesn't regularly aim for the fences but is still an extremely capable effort from start to finish.

A variety of optional dubs and subtitles (including English SH) are included; the latter are perfectly formatted and sit well within the 1.85:1 frame. Like the audio, no obvious sync issues were detected along the way.

Just Mercy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray-only edition is packaged in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and a Digital Copy redemption slip. The bonus features are limited and not especially deep, but still appreciated.

• Making Mercy (4:06) - A very short promotional featurette with key members of the cast and crew...as well as a few "minor" crew members (interns, production assistants, camera operators, costumers), which is a nice touch. It's pretty much all back-patting and surface-level stuff, but pleasant enough.

• The Equal Justice Initiative (8:10) - This short piece shines a light on real-life lawyer Bryan Stevenson and his titular non-profit organization, which was founded in 1989 and continues to work towards ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment throughout the United States.

• This Moment Deserves (6:07) - A like-minded featurette that summarizes the film's story and its similarities to the actual Walter McMillian case with comments from many of the previous participants.

• Deleted Scenes (8 clips, 14:31 total) - "Bryan Debates with Harvard Classmate", "Bryan Meets Charlie", "Charlie is Released", "Bryan Tells Walter That He Plays the Piano", "Bryan and Tommy Meet the Judge", "Minnie Suffers Alone", "Bryan Shows Compassion to Jeremy", and "Uncle Leo Encourages Bryan".

Just Mercy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Just Mercy is a fairly durable, down-to-Earth drama that will likely hold up well enough over time, even though it was only a modest hit at the box office last year. It's well-acted and evenly paced with great music, along with plenty of other solid fundamental strengths...and despite the somewhat predictable plot and a few related handicaps, there's plenty to like about this emotionally resonant production. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray follows suit with a decent package that mostly focuses on the film's strong A/V merits, as its extras are fairly weak but still appreciated. Aside from the lack of a 4K option, there's not much to complain about -- it's an easy recommendation for fans and first-timers alike.