X
- 2017
- PG-13
- Open Road Films (II)
- 1 h 58 m
- 2017
- PG-13
- Open Road Films (II)
- 1 h 58 m
Summary Long before he sat on the United States Supreme Court or claimed victory in Brown v. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) was a young rabble-rousing attorney for the NAACP. The new motion picture, Marshall, is the true story of his greatest challenge in those early days – a fight he fought alongside attorney Sam Fried...
Directed By: Reginald Hudlin
Written By: Michael Koskoff, Jacob Koskoff
- 2017
- PG-13
- Open Road Films (II)
- 1 h 58 m
- 2017
- PG-13
- Open Road Films (II)
- 1 h 58 m
Marshall
66
6.6
Where to Watch
Summary Long before he sat on the United States Supreme Court or claimed victory in Brown v. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) was a young rabble-rousing attorney for the NAACP. The new motion picture, Marshall, is the true story of his greatest challenge in those early days – a fight he fought alongside attorney Sam Fried...
Directed By: Reginald Hudlin
Written By: Michael Koskoff, Jacob Koskoff
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 34 Critic Reviews
66
71% Positive
24 Reviews
24 Reviews
29% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 34 Critic Reviews
66
71% Positive
24 Reviews
24 Reviews
29% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
One of the freshest and most entertaining films of the year.
By limiting the film’s time frame, the narrative is allowed to breathe and, as a result, we get a distinct snapshot not only of the main character but of the setting that resulted in his becoming historically important.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 67 User Ratings
6.6
72% Positive
48 Ratings
48 Ratings
19% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
9% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 67 User Ratings
6.6
72% Positive
48 Ratings
48 Ratings
19% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
9% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Admittedly, I love Chadwick Boseman. This also means when I see him in a movie, I have high expectations. "Marshall" does not disappoint. Boseman, Josh Gad, and Sterling K. Brown all give brilliant performances. The cast is well rounded by the likes of Keesha Sharp, Kate Hudson, & James Cromwell. The movie has a nice film noir feel to it for which Reginald Hudlin deserves high praise. If you like courtroom dramas in the vein of "To Kill A Mockingbird" & "A Soldier's Story" You will love "Marshall.
Report
More problematic for Hudlin is the nature of the case — only by proving that a rape victim is a liar can Friedman and Marshall win an acquittal for their client. Fortunately, the case (in the film, if not in real life) is resolved in such a way that racism and misogyny are found equally guilty.
Boseman and Gad are both good. Marshall drinks and smokes and fights in a bar; certainly that's a side of him we haven't seen before. If anything, he's portrayed as a little too good at his job, a risk-taker whose every courtroom hunch pays off. It's an interesting approach to the story, but it also holds the film back a bit.
Boseman brings this badass attorney oozing warranted confidence to life opposite Gad’s non-confrontational everyman experiencing the true power of his occupation as a result. And Brown steals the show with an emotional turn able to earn empathy from the most jaded audience member like Spell did Marshall. It’s time new generations learn Thurgood’s name.
Marshall makes a good case for its hero as one of the brightest, boldest lawyers to ever walk into a courtroom. So why is it sometimes such a trial?
Casting the movie as Marshall’s story — and then skimping on Marshall himself, one of the most interesting figures in US history — winds up skewing the film in ways that end up inadvertently denigrating the subject.
A riveting, touching tale that demonstrates the history of racism and how terminating it changed the laws and hearts of Americans dating back to the early 1950's. Instead of falling into a ditch based on the good deeds by Marshall, he embraces his good to prevent wrongdoings in the northeast in order to contend with racist and anti Semitic views who believe Joseph Spell to be guilty.
Report
This is a great biopic about someone more people need to learn about. I tend to forget that there were ordinary people doing extraordinary things while navigating through a unforgiving and mean-spirited society that existed decades ago. Refreshing and inspiring.
Report
This film deserves better reviews, it is quite good. Thurgood Marshall was one of the best if not the best lawyer of the 20th Century. He must have been unbelievably brave to do what he did. This case gives some idea of how smart he was. There is a documentary called Mr. Civil Rights which is great and worth seeing.
Report
the anticipated thrills and chills..
Marshall
Marshall is a plot driven courtroom drama about a man being wrongly accused and finds a challenging lawyer enough to fight back. It is surprisingly fast and gripping and fortunately doesn't spend much time on other things besides the case, which is the core strength of it. But it is also eerily unstable and uneven for it to be congruent in its own tone and the primary reason why it itches throughout the course is because it is a tale sculpted to rely upon the performance and unfortunately it is on short in here. The script has substance and it puts all its big guns on the table with panache that makes you root for these undercooked characters. The background score isn't impressive neither is cinematography or camera work but is aptly edited. As mentioned, the performance objective is under a lot of pressure and the major player like Boseman and Hudson fails to live up to the expectations while Gad's range steals the show that is from being uncomfortably amusing to intensely attacking with a decent support from Brown whose reserved act is plausible in here. The chemistry between the lead cast fuels this thriller where most of the work is done by Gad, he not only serves well but ping pongs it back too. The anticipated thrills and chills that a courtroom ought to deliver is in plethora in here, and it isn't twisted and turned to make it crispy or draw in the attention of the viewers but is kept simple and sensible and justified to the core. Gad's screen presence that enlightens this dark drama, a tightly packed screenplay that enfolds and reveals newer perspective on each step and Huldlin's brilliant execution are the high points of the feature. Marshall might have the heart for the betterment of the society and political reasonings but is actually much more than that, it is an example of good cinema that this genre could offer.
Report
I was more impressed with Marshall's achievements stated at the end than I was with what he was doing in this movie. Thurgood Marshall deserves a more sweeping and gritty story than this one. This film came off as sterile and formulaic. I also appreciated the comparison of oppression that Jews and Blacks received in this film, and it can be a good conversation starter. However, it didn't go far enough. Acting was great, direction was serviceable, writing was fine, stakes were good but there was nothing new with the message. Serviceable film.
Report
Production Company
Chestnut Ridge Productions,
China Wit Media,
Starlight Culture Entertainment,
Starlight Media,
Super Hero Films
Release Date Oct 13, 2017
Duration 1 h 58 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline His Name Means Justice
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Black Reel Awards
• 7 Nominations
Image Awards (NAACP)
• 5 Nominations
