It’s been a good while since we’ve had a good courtroom drama…That’s changing this weekend as MARSHALL opens as a bio-drama, courtroom thriller.
Making it even more interesting is the film is (loosely) based on the life and times of America’s first African-American Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall who was instrumental in the landmark Brown v. Topeka Board of Education case.
But the movie doesn’t span Marshall’s life.
Instead it focuses on young, 32 year old Marshall working then as an attorney for the NAACP specializing in racial justice cases.
So what we’ve got here is Marshall partaking in just ONE of his career-defining cases—one which would positively shape his entire future.
Marshall is called upon by NAACP’s New York office to take on a case in which a black butler and chauffeur is accused of sexually assaulting and raping his wealthy white socialite boss played by Kate Hudson.
Did he do it? And IF so, was it really RAPE?
It’s a tough defense for Marshall to stage made tougher considering the racial aspects and the trial’s location—conservative Connecticut.Making matters worse, the hard judge in the case (James Cromwell) didn’t allow Marshall to practice in his Connecticut court room.
So with no talking allowed in open court, Marshall is forced to pass his defense strategy notes on to local associate Sam Friedman (Josh Gad), a Jewish defense lawyer who was much more familiar practicing insurance litigation.
It all sounds quite confusing.
But it’s not as Chadwick Boseman steps into yet another Real People bio-drama.
(You may remember him for his portrayal of Jackie Robinson in 42 and as JamesBrown in GET ON UP.
In MARSHALL he once again proves that he possesses the chops to step into any major role.
It’s two hours of the pressure of operating under severe community prejudices, and a fascinating look of where we have been and how far we have come.
MARSHALL opens in semi-limited runs.
My grade: B-
JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES Friday’s during Kansas City’s Morning News on 98.1 FM, KMBZ.
Another movie about evil white people.
Fuck the mockingbird.