Cert 12A Stars 3

Racism, corruption and injustice litter this solid, aspirational and heartfelt true life death row courtroom drama which challenges the institutions of the US to do better.

In a change of pace from playing boxer Adonis Creed, in Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky sequels, Michael B. Jordan’s articulate dignity anchors the story as a fresh young and naive Harvard lawyer who moves to the deep south of Alabama to overturn suspect convictions.

Former Oscar winner Jamie Foxx gives an impassioned performance as a death row inmate who on the word of one unreliable witness and no evidence, was convicted of killing an eighteen year old white woman.

The script forgoes grandstanding dramatics and legal trickery in favour of quiet integrity, and makes good use of the setting of  Monroeville, which boasts of being the home of Harper Lee, author of the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird.

And the film is clearly a statement African Americans no longer need white saviours such as Atticus Finch to fight their legal battles for them.