Just Mercy

THE GIST: After graduating from Harvard, a black lawyer decides to move to Alabama and join a civil rights advocate to fight for the rights of unjustly jailed, poor, mostly black inmates. His first case will test the limits of his determination.

Just Mercy is not an easy movie to watch because of all the terrifying injustices the black population (and anyone standing up for them) had to endure at the hands of unabashed racists hell bent on keeping them firmly in their place at the bottom of the social rung.

The story is based on factual events and the saddest part is that the things we're shown still regularly happen to a lot of black and brown people all over America to this day.

Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan are both fantastic.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I really think this kind of movie should be required viewing in any civics class across the country. Definitely a must-see.

Grade: 8