Some films seem to be destined to be under-appreciated, and this true life tale seems to be destined to that fate. I thought it was great. I think there can be many definitions, or qualifications, for something to be considered great, but here’s one of them: this movie made me reconsider my feelings about capital punishment. That’s how good it is.

Destin Daniel Cretton’s film is an uplifting drama centering on a Northern lawyer, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), who moves to Alabama to open an office to help represent and defend death row inmates. One of them, Walter “Johnny D” McMillan (Jamie Foxx) is demonstrably innocent of his accused crime, but the criminal justice system is about to kill him anyway. Stevenson and his associates work tirelessly to save him, but can they prevail?

Sometimes the messaging of a film is so obvious that it sabotages the intent, rendering it overbearing or preachy. Here, the obviousness of the racism and the blind eyes to justice are so self-evident that it seems impossible that McMillan’s case could drag on so long — yet that is what truly happened. It makes you want to scream. The film handles these situations beautifully, with great writing by Cretton and Andrew Lanham, based on Stevenson’s book about his early experiences, and wonderful acting from Jordan, Foxx, Brie Larson, Rob Morgan, Karan Kendrick, Tim Blake Nelson and O’Shea Jackson, Jr. Any number of these performers could have garnered Oscar nominations. But they didn’t because this movie never caught fire with audiences, and that’s a shame.

Prison dramas are rather obvious, and they’ve been around since the silent days, yet there is no denying the power they convey. From I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang and Brute Force to Cool Hand Luke and The Green Mile, a really good prison drama can persuade you to empathize with people who have grim futures, if they have any future at all. This picture in particular asks viewers to consider how one man in particular was railroaded into jail for no good reason. Only the intentions of fair, honest people can come to his rescue. It’s a great story, and a great movie. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆. 3 March 2020.