What you need to know
- Microsoft has made 2019 film "Just Mercy" free to rent on the Microsoft Store.
- The movie is based on a true story that shines the spotlight on systemic racism in America.
- You can rent Just Mercy for free at the Microsoft Store now.
- You can also buy it for $4 including UHD with Movies Anywhere.
As protests continue in the U.S. and in cities around the world over the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, many are looking for further avenues to educate themselves on the effects of systemic racism. In response, Microsoft has made the 2019 film "Just Mercy," which chronicles the true story of Walter McMillian, a black man who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of an 18-year-old girl in Alabama in 1987.
Just Mercy stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, and Brie Larsen. From the film's description:
A powerful and thoughtprovoking true story, "Just Mercy" follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds—and the system—stacked against them.
Just Mercy is vailable to rent for free for 25 more days at the time of this writing.
Additionally, you can buy the movie for just $4, including in 4K UHD. The film qualifies as a Movies Anywhere title to take it to all your video libraries.
Microsoft has also sidelined promotional tweets among its various Twitter accounts to honor George Floyd's memory this past week. Insteand, the company has used its platform to "amplify voices from the Black and African American community at Microsoft."
Just Mercy follows the real-life story Walter McMillian, a black man wrongfully convicted of murder in 1987, and his lawyer, Bryan Stevenson.
