Just Cause (1995) on Netflix
Harvard professor Paul Armstrong, who opposes capital punishment, takes the case of Bobby Earl Ferguson, condemned to die in Florida for a girl's murder. Bobby says his confession was forced.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb6.4/1033,227 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes26%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1986 in Ochopee, Florida, eleven-year-old Joanie Shriver is abducted, raped and killed. Tanny Brown and J. T. Wilcox arrest Bobby Earl Ferguson for the crime, and he is convicted and sentenced to be executed. Eight years on, Bobby gives his grandmother Evangeline a letter and asks her to travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and hire Paul Armstrong to clear his name. Armstrong has not practiced law in 25 years. His wife Laurie reads the letter and urges him to take it, and Armstrong, Laurie and their daughter Katey go to Florida, where Armstrong meets Bobby in prison and hears his account of the interrogation. Bobby sends him to Blair Sullivan, another condemned man.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Just Cause (1995)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- In late November 2022 it was reported that Scarlett Johansson, who played Katie Armstrong in the film, had signed to star in and executive produce an Amazon Prime Video limited series based on Just Cause from writer Christy Hall, with a gender-flipped version of the lead.
- Will Smith was originally in talks to take on the role of Bobby Earl Ferguson, while Geena Davis has implied that she turned down the role of Laurie; Connery and director Arne Glimcher were close friends, and Glimcher took on directing duties so that they could both work on the film together.
- The film opened at number 2 at the US box office with $10.6 million, stayed at number 2 the next week with $6.6 million, and went on to earn $36.8 million domestically and $63 million worldwide.
- Principal photography began on May 16, 1994 in and around Florida, with locations including Bonita Springs, Fort Myers and Miami Beach as well as Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts; production wrapped on August 2, 1994, and the film marked the final theatrical film for Hope Lange.
