HOLLYWOOD – “Just Mercy” is billed as an inspiring drama featuring a real-life hero who gave hope to the hopeless and those facing racism and corruption.
Based on the true story of lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson who fought for those who had been wrongfully convicted, the movie shows the severe injustices suffered by African-Americans accused of crimes they did not commit.
Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant is a fan of the movie and he showed his support to the Warner Bros. drama at a recent community screening in Los Angeles.
“What Bryan had to go through and the amount of perseverance in the face of true fear, true danger. It’s not like, you know, the fear of missing a game winning shot and then you lose the game... It's dealing with real-life consequences,” Bryant said.
“To be able to have that amount of courage, that amount of determination, that amount of focus to persevere through tremendous odds, you're going to leave this theater feeling inspired,” he added.
Actor Michael B. Jordan plays Stevenson.
When asked for advice to someone facing corruption or racial bias, Jordan said: “That's tough. One advice I would give is to never lose hope. It's something that Bryan always says, that hopelessness is the enemy of justice. You gotta have hope. You gotta hope that something's going to happen that you haven't seen before.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Foxx plays Walter McMillian, who was sentenced to die in 1987 despite a lack of evidence.
Karan Kendrick plays his wife, and “Captain Marvel” actress Brie Larson reunited with director Destin Daniel Cretton to complete the ensemble cast of the inspiring drama.
Foxx received a SAG Awards best actor nomination for his portrayal of McMillian, who faced extreme racism and corruption in Alabama.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
