5 out of 5 stars. This biopic is intense!!! Keep reading...
Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) is a recent Harvard grad who moves to Alabama to help death row inmates that are wrongfully accused. His first case starts with Walter "Johnnie D" McMillan (Jamie Foxx). Walter is in prison for killing an 18 year old woman in a dry cleaners. He allegedly held Ralph Myers (Tim Blake Nelson) at gunpoint, forced him to drive him to the dry cleaners, killed & raped the girl, and got into the car having Ralph drive him home. Sound ridiculous right? Well Johnnie D was tried and convicted with that story from Ralph. The State of AL never produced physical evidence of Johnnie D's guilt nor other witnesses.
This movie makes you sooooooooo angry. But thank God for the Bryan Stevensons of the world. Great movie, but I could only see it once. I was at a screener with a few friends, and we traded back and forth emotions of anger and tears. This is a HEAVY movie.
Jamie Foxx locked his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Michael B Jordan will get his first Best Lead Actor Oscar nomination; first time nominee Tim Blake Nelson & Rob Morgan will go up against Jamie too. Tim was very good, but Rob WAS PHENOMENAL! Jamie edges him out simply for being on screen longer, but Rob deserves every award he's nominated for as well. And Destin Daniel Cretton (The Glass Castle) did an amazing job as director and co-writer with Andrew Lanham. For some reason Brie Lawson didn't wow me as she usually does in her supporting role. And this movie will be released limitedly on Christmas day qualifying for 2020 awards, but with a wide release in January 2020. Good move!
Very very good movie.