My name is Bryan Stevenson, I am the lawyer.' As well as racial injustice, Just Mercy highlights the monstrosity of capital punishment, innocent or not; a scene involving one of McMillian's fellow death row inmates, Herb Richardson, is one of the film's many heart-breaking moments. Tom Robinson, the wrongly accused black defendant, is found guilty. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Advertisement Herbert Richardson, the Vietnam veteran whose execution Stevenson attends after. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in, Systemic Power, Oppression, and Dehumanization. Pic: Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. Due to your consent preferences, youre not able to view this. Everything I said at McMillian's trial was a lie. Just Mercy details Bryan Stevenson's hard-fought legal battles as he tries to bring Walter McMillan back home after six long years on death row for a crime he didn't commit. That hearing was actually overseen by Judge Thomas B. Norton Jr., and Judge Fosters most ludicrous-seeming dialogue is actually taken straight from an order Judge Norton wrote saying that he had no reason to believe Myers had perjured himself during the original trial. The way the content is organized. In real life, Richardson had psychological problems from his combat experienceshe was the only survivor of an ambush that killed his entire platoonand ended up in a Veterans Affairs hospital in New York after the war. system on the night of his execution, though. As the film takes us through the process of appealing a case, we are exposed to the PTSD that Richardson faces after serving in the Vietnam War. At a hearing for a new trial, Bryan brings Myers to the stand to question that testimony again. Scene . Well, Im just as smart as that guy, even if I didnt go to Harvard. In the memoir, this happens while meeting with a different client at a different prison, and the guards change of heart comes after hearing Stevenson testify about the horrible abuse his client suffered in the foster care system, because the guard was also a former foster kid. Over the course of the movie, the guard has a quiet change of heart while observing Stevenson at work and life on death row, which is dramatized by improved treatment of Stevenson and McMillian both. For every nine people executed in the US, one person on death row has been exonerated, Stevenson says. The film traces his journey from indifference to McMillians casehe wasnt the original prosecutorto fanatical opposition to McMillians release, to grudging acceptance of McMillians innocence in exactly the same way the book does, and Chapman really did all those things. Herberts new love symbolizes the new beginning he isnt permitted to have, and it explains the fervor of his last-minute efforts to dispute his sentence. Twenty-nine states - more than half - still have the death penalty. Southern Prisoners Defense Committee (SPDC), Voting Rights Protests of 1965 (Selma-to-Montgomery Marches). Just Mercys McMillian corresponds pretty closely to the man depicted in both the 60 Minutes segment and Stevensons memoir, but its perhaps worth noting that Earleys bookis a little harsher on him, alleging thatalthough rumors during the trial that McMillian was a player in the Dixie mafia were nonsensehe really was a small-time marijuana dealer, whod been investigated by both the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and local police, for whatever thats worth. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 167 people who might have been killed have been exonerated since 1973. The moment sparks something in Bryan and he realizes who he needs to fight for. That is really going to be a big contrast to the moment when we go outside through Walter McMillians escape vision in his mind that takes him back to the moment in the beginning of the movie when he is out in the forest and looking up at the trees. "Just Mercy" tells the story of Walter McMillian, a wrongfully convicted man who fights a flawed criminal justice system "This was an important story, a moving story and one that we felt could. Complete your free account to request a guide. From the next cell, Walter calms him by helping him visualize trees in the forest. As you can see in the 60 Minutes clip, Tim Blake Nelsons performance eerily recreates Myers tics and delivery, while Just Mercys makeup team recreate the injuries Myers suffered in a childhood fire. One day, a death row inmate and Vietnam veteran, Stevenson files several stay motions at the state level on behalf of, Stevenson realizes he isnt prepared to see, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. (?) Herbert Richardson was convicted of killing an 11-year-old girl with a pipe bomb and put on death row, and his story features in the new film "Just Mercy.". All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. Herbert is consumed with guilt but is also a very sick man in need of help. Walter McMillians ordeal is more or less accurately portrayed in Just Mercy: He was arrested in 1987 and charged with the murder of Ronda Morrison, an 18-year-old white woman who was shot in broad daylight at the Monroeville, Alabama dry-cleaning shop where she worked. Stevensons arguments suggest that those in powerful positions are able to perpetuate the death penalty because they never see it up close. McMillian was convicted after a trial that lasted only a day and a half. The war veteran, who reportedly had unexplained "crying spells" among other issues during his service, was put to death on Aug. 19, 1989, according to an archived report from United Press International. Destin Daniel Cretton shot that scene, but choseto focus instead on Stevenson's horrifiedreaction in the glassed-off viewing area. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Review: Just Mercy Film. Watch a trailer here. Herbert Richardson was a Black Vietnam War veteran who fought for our country on the front lines until he was honorably discharged due to psychiatric illness that he developed from his service. Despite the intensity of his earlier efforts to fight the courts, it appears that he has now decided to make the best of his last moments. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. The prosecutions unfounded claim that Herbert was a Black Muslim served to capitalize on the fears and racial biases of the all-white jury. But it didn't matter. Just Mercy is based on a memoir written by Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) an organization in Montgomery, Alabama that challenges racial injustice and champions criminal justice reform. There he meets with Bryan one last time and prays. When McMillian died, the Monroe Journala newspaper whose vitriolic coverage of his trial and its aftermath is well documented in both booksran an obituary that did not mention his trial. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Rob Morgan as Herbert Richardson in Just Mercy. "Herbert Richardson was guilty. Stevenson implies that Herberts lawyer felt no investment in his clients fate because the court underpaid him. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. An idealistic lawyer (Michael B. Jordan, left) seeks exoneration for an innocent man on death row (Jamie Foxx) in "Just Mercy.". When he was sentenced to death, Herbert's lawyer ignored his request for appeal. Foxx, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Ray Charles in Ray in 2005, says for him, Just Mercy was personal; he tells the story of how his own father was jailed. Attorney Bryan Stevenson took McMillians case in 1988, and in 1993 secured McMillians freedom after demonstrating that the prosecution had withheld evidence and pressured their star witness into lying. We can be inspired by Stevenson, who often worked for years to free a client, spending hundreds of hours on one case. He committed that crime. Herbert is a veteran who experienced post-traumatic stress disorder after returning from Vietnam, which exacerbated issues stemming from childhood abuse. Part 4, "Old Rugged Cross", portrays the narrative of Vietnam War Veteran Herbert Duncan, whose case lights up the battles Veterans frequently have in getting the restorative and emotional wellness bolster they require, while Chapter 6 ("Surely Doomed") delineates how across the board lawful foul play is for adolescents, a . Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Jordan, who rose to fame in films such as Creed and Black Panther, says he has been "forever changed" by being a part of Just Mercy. But after meeting Jordan, Foxx and director Destin Daniel Cretton, he was satisfied they cared. He maintains that this case is not just about one man being rightfully set free, but also an example that justice is something that is awarded to all people. Based on the real-life experiences of attorney Bryan Stevenson, "Just Mercy" is a legal drama about the plight of a wrongly convicted inmate on death row in Alabama. Tom Chapman, the prosecutor who did the most to fight McMillians release, seems to have behaved even more badly in real life than he does in Just Mercy. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. So we didnt have to do too many editing tricks for this scene. I dont want you to think about nothing else. Pic: Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. As he's led into the room with shaved eyebrows and prison whites, his legs buckle dramatically. Baldwin was prosecuted by Theodore Pearson, the same D.A. And the judge started laughing and the prosecutor started laughing, and I made myself laugh because I didn't want to disadvantage my client - a young white kid I was representing. He moved to Alabama to follow a nurse he had met at the hospital, dated her, and was happy, for a time. Richardson spent 11 years in all on death row, during whichhe busied himself painting religious works of art, according to UPIs report. "I had my suit and tie on and went into this courtroom, the first time I've ever been in this courtroom. "So I would just stare at the two pictures, stare into his eyes, and just imagine his spirit and mind-set coming to life inside of me," says Morgan. It would have been too much," Jordan says. The corruption displayed in the film regarding Walter's conviction is staggering and infuriating. The entire case rested on the testimony of career criminal Ralph Myers (Tim Blake Nelson) who was coerced by law enforcement to make the false accusation or face the death penalty. Mr McMillian was with his family miles away when Ronda Morrison was killed. JAKE GILES NETTER/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Are We Finally Ready to See One of the 90s Most Acclaimed Bands for What It Really Was? Herbert Richardson (Rob Morgan) Warner Bros. After their relationship turned toxic, the nurse left him and . You have to get close" (14). Sheryl Van Horne. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. He spends the bulk of the book on the specific case of Walter McMillian and his efforts to get him not only removed from death row, but to get him exonerated completely. In a 35-year career he's saved 125 prisoners from death row, including condemned men whose cases and traumas are depicted with sensitivity in "Just Mercy." He speaks passionately and. By providing historical context about the Supreme Court in the late 1980s, Stevenson allows Herberts experience to illustrate overall political trends. Though Myers is hesitant with the sheriff sitting in the room watching him, Bryan steps in between them and asks him point-blank if he lied. The Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson) lesson plan is downloadable in PDF and Word. The prison officials had pumped themselves up to carry out the execution with determination and resolve, but even they revealed extreme . -Graham S. By describing Herberts history of loss, abuse and violence, Stevenson attempts to show Herberts humanity and explain the events that affected his mental health. Just Mercy was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton in 2019, and stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake . It just shows how much Bryan genuinely cared about Walter, while the other lawyers did not. Director Destin Daniel Cretton Writers Destin Daniel Cretton Andrew Lanham Bryan Stevenson (based on the book by) Stars Michael B. Jordan Jamie Foxx Brie Larson See production, box office & company info Watch on HBO Max So that put me in the mind space of, I know hes not doing this on purpose, but just the fact that he looks at me that way.. 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