Following his Oscar-winning performance inThe Untouchables,Sean Conneryfound various roles worlds away from hisJames Bonddays. While the legendary star retained his tough guy charisma in a series of action-adventure vehicles, he often took on projects that spoke about something deeper than just providing an entertaining thrill ride. His 1995 mystery thrillerJust Causenot only accomplished that, but it was also released at a very ironic time.
Based onJohn Katzenbach’s 1992 novel,Just Causetakes a sensitive subject matter regarding the complex nature of the criminal justice system and finds a clever way to twist expectations. With its plot surrounding the brutal rape and murder of a young white girl, it is Connery’s darkest picture sinceSidney Lumet’sThe Offence, where he restrains his usual charm to play a man of conviction in search of truth. With Connery aided by an impressive cast that includesLaurence Fishburne,Ed Harris,Blair Underwood, and a youngScarlett Johansson,Just Causeis a gripping tension-builder and a case study about capital punishment.
What Is ‘Just Cause’ About?
In 1986, a young Black man, Florida-based college student Bobby Earl Ferguson (Underwood), is arrested and beaten into confessing to the killing of little Joanie Shriver. Sentenced to die in the electric chair, the suspect’s grandmother (Ruby Dee) seeks help from anti-death penalty law professor Paul Armstrong (Connery) to prove her grandson was coerced into taking the blame by shady Florida Everglades cop Tanny Brown (Fishburne) and his white partner. Armstrong takes his prosecutor wife (Kate Capshaw) and daughter (Johansson) down South to do his investigation into Ferguson’s possible innocence.
Based on Ferguson’s account of the events surrounding Joanie’s death, Armstrong believes that the real killer is fellow death row inmate Blair Sullivan (Harris), who was convicted of similar murders in the Everglades. Armstrong’s pursuit of the truth runs afoul of Detective Brown, who stands by his morally questionable actions to bring down Ferguson and wants to run the professor out of town. AsArmstrong uncovers some deeply troubling secrets surrounding the caseand the people around it, his family becomes the real killer’s next target.
Connery rarely ever plays a family man in his movies andJust Causeallows him to be someone torn by his personal beliefs and thinking of his loved ones first. The murder of a young girl close to his daughter’s age weighs heavily on his mind when those like Fishburne’s character, who are convinced of Earl Ferguson’s guilt, force him to think with his heart instead of his gut. Yet, it’s Connery’s belief of a wrongful conviction stemming from brutal punishment that is far worse. Unlike his Scotland Yard cop constantly questioninghis morality inThe Offence, Connery’s Armstrong is blinded by his ideals.
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‘Just Cause’ Bleakly Mirrored the O.J. Simpson Case
Just Causewas released during the height of theO.J. Simpsonmurder trial in 1995, making the film all the more ironic given the tale of a Black man accused of murdering a white woman and featuring a disturbing twist that nearly mirrors the real outcome. DirectorArne Glimcherrelies on the graphic imagery ofpolice brutalityagainst Underwood and the split public opinion toward him as a way to reflect the reality of systemic racism in the justice system. Adding to the film’s irony is something the Simpson case raised regarding facts and evidence being tainted for the sake of a conviction. OnlyJust Causeuses this device in an underlying manner that pays off in the third act when Connery realizes the facts leading to his initial conclusion are part of a much grander scheme.
Though Connery’s presence elevates all hisJust Cause,Fishburne and Underwood’s performances are the most fascinating parts of this thriller. The visuals of Underwood’s brutal desperation should be enough to get the audience on his side. Yet, he often displays some subtle, offbeat tics and mannerisms during his jail interactions with Connery that raise some doubt about his innocence. Similarly, Fishburne holds his own with the Oscar-winning icon witha slick but intimidating presence.He goes as far as justifying his own brutality by attempting to choke Connery with a car seatbelt to demonstrate how the girl was killed. But it is soon revealed how deeply invested he is in the murder investigation that the suspicion of the case only gets heightened to something more than a legal procedural.
Just Causehas everything a good mystery thriller can provide: Complex characters, narrative subversion, and a play on corruption in the justice system. Though it switches up into a standard psychological thriller by the finale, the majority of the picture is held together by its top-caliber cast and the humid but sinister Florida atmosphere. It was a fine departure for Connery who for once gets to play the hero unsure of what he’s doing is right.
Just Cause
