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IMDbPro

Marshall

  • 20172017
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
25K
YOUR RATING
Chadwick Boseman in Marshall (2017)
Based on the early career of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, this movie follows the young lawyer (Chadwick Boseman) to conservative Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur (Sterling K. Brown) against his wealthy white socialite employer (Kate Hudson) in a sexual assault and attempted murder trial.
Play trailer2:35
14 Videos
47 Photos
BiographyCrimeDrama
The story of Thurgood Marshall, the crusading lawyer who would become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.The story of Thurgood Marshall, the crusading lawyer who would become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.The story of Thurgood Marshall, the crusading lawyer who would become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
25K
YOUR RATING
    • Reginald Hudlin
    • Michael Koskoff
    • Jacob Koskoff
  • Stars
    • Chadwick Boseman
    • Josh Gad
    • Kate Hudson
    • Reginald Hudlin
    • Michael Koskoff
    • Jacob Koskoff
  • Stars
    • Chadwick Boseman
    • Josh Gad
    • Kate Hudson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 118User reviews
    • 79Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos14

    Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:35
    Watch Trailer #2
    Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:27
    Watch Trailer #1
    9 Films With Inspirational Heroes to Celebrate
    Clip 3:16
    Watch 9 Films With Inspirational Heroes to Celebrate
    He Had A Knife
    Clip 1:15
    Watch He Had A Knife
    Our Mission
    Clip 1:23
    Watch Our Mission
    School For Failures
    Clip 1:08
    Watch School For Failures
    Clip
    Clip 1:01
    Watch Clip
    Were Going To Object
    Clip 0:56
    Watch Were Going To Object
    Our Mission
    Clip 1:23
    Watch Our Mission
    The Legacy of Chadwick Boseman
    Clip 3:38
    Watch The Legacy of Chadwick Boseman
    J Gad
    Interview 3:45
    Watch J Gad
    S K Brown
    Interview 3:55
    Watch S K Brown

    Photos47

    Sophia Bush, Chadwick Boseman, and Robert S. Bates in Marshall (2017)
    Dan Stevens in Marshall (2017)
    Josh Gad and Chadwick Boseman in Marshall (2017)
    Sterling K. Brown and Chadwick Boseman in Marshall (2017)
    Andra Day in Marshall (2017)
    Keesha Sharp and Chadwick Boseman in Marshall (2017)
    Chadwick Boseman in Marshall (2017)
    Josh Gad and Chadwick Boseman in Marshall (2017)
    Jussie Smollett and Mark St. Cyr in Marshall (2017)
    James Cromwell in Marshall (2017)
    Josh Gad, Dan Stevens, and Chadwick Boseman in Marshall (2017)
    Roger Guenveur Smith in Marshall (2017)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Chadwick Boseman
    Chadwick Boseman
    • Thurgood Marshall
    Josh Gad
    Josh Gad
    • Sam Friedman
    Kate Hudson
    Kate Hudson
    • Eleanor Strubing
    Sterling K. Brown
    Sterling K. Brown
    • Joseph Spell
    Dan Stevens
    Dan Stevens
    • Loren Willis
    James Cromwell
    James Cromwell
    • Judge Foster
    Keesha Sharp
    Keesha Sharp
    • Buster Marshall
    Roger Guenveur Smith
    Roger Guenveur Smith
    • Walter White
    Derrick Baskin
    Derrick Baskin
    • Ted Lancaster
    Barrett Doss
    Barrett Doss
    • Bertha Lancaster
    Zanete Shadwick
    • Irene Lancaster
    John Magaro
    John Magaro
    • Irwin Friedman
    Ahna O'Reilly
    Ahna O'Reilly
    • Mrs. Richmond
    Jussie Smollett
    Jussie Smollett
    • Langston Hughes
    Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas
    Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas
    • Zora Neale Hurston
    Andra Day
    Andra Day
    • Minton's Singer
    Jeremy Bobb
    Jeremy Bobb
    • John Strubing
    • (as Jeremy Lowell Bobb)
    Jeffrey DeMunn
    Jeffrey DeMunn
    • Dr. Sayer
      • Reginald Hudlin
      • Michael Koskoff
      • Jacob Koskoff
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Both Chadwick Boseman and Thurgood Marshall went to Howard University.
    • Goofs
      At the end of the movie, Marshall drops some coins into a pay phone in Mississippi to call Friedman in Connecticut to find out the verdict in the case. He would've had to call the operator, who would've called a hub, which would have established a trunk line to New York City, and so on. Making that long-distance call could take all day.
    • Quotes

      Thurgood Marshall: The Constitution was not written for us. We know that. But no matter what it takes, we're going to make it work for us. From now on, we claim it as our own.

    • Connections
      Featured in Andra Day Feat. Common: Stand Up for Something (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Keep a Knockin'
      Written by J. Mayo Williams, Robert Mays (as Bert Mays)

      Courtesy of Universal Music Publishing

      Performed by Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five (as Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five)

      Courtesy of Geffen Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises

    User reviews118

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Thurgood 101
    Greetings again from the darkness. The question must be asked: is the movie worthy of the man? The man was the first attorney for the NAACP. He won 29 of the 32 cases he argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, including the ground-breaking 1954 Brown v. Board of Education (separate but equal public education). This man was a trailblazer for Civil Rights, and in 1967 became the first African- American Supreme Court Justice. This man was, of course, Thurgood Marshall … a man who unquestionably deserves not just a movie, but a really good and important one.

    Chadwick Boseman has taken on film versions of such icons as Jackie Robinson in 42 and James Brown in GET ON UP, so he likely jumped at the chance to play the revered figure, Thurgood Marshall. Mr. Boseman has true movie star screen presence, and supplies the young Mr. Marshall with a self-assured swagger that accompanies a brilliant legal mind – a mind that refused to be ignored during a time it was desperately needed. Lest he be labeled a superhero, the film does portray Marshall smoking and drinking, while also hinting at his carousing. The common flaws of a great man.

    It's 1941 and the young (33 years old) Marshall is the lone NAACP attorney, so he spends his time ping-ponging around the country fighting for fair trials for those African-Americans accused simply because they aren't white. He works only for "innocent" people and his efforts during this time were crucial to the Civil Rights movement gaining attention and legitimacy. Most of the film centers on a case in Connecticut (no, not the Jim Crow south) where a black man, Joseph Spell (Sterling K Brown), is accused of sexual assault of a "respectable" married white woman, Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson). If you are reminded of the great book and film TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, you must know that those literary and cinematic standards are such that few can ever hope to reach.

    What follows is not one of the more dramatic or tension-filled cinematic courtroom dramas. There is simply too much levity for the film to be classified as a historical heavyweight. That said, the man and his story are fascinating, and though director Reginald Hudlin chooses a deft touch rather than a sledge hammer, it's likely the wise choice if the goal is to entertain, while also educating the masses to Marshall's early career. Josh Gad co-stars as Marshall's co-counsel Sam Friedman, a specialist in legal technicalities within the insurance industry. Boseman and Gad have nice chemistry (at times it feels like a buddy movie), and as a Jew in those times, Friedman is himself stuck in limbo between staunch racism and acceptance by the white community.

    James Cromwell plays Judge Foster, yet another man caught between the old world he has lived in his entire life and the fast-changing society and legal system that permits him to silence Marshall, while also forcing (somewhat) fair treatment of the accused Spell. Dan Stevens (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) is Loren Willis, the disgusted and disgusting prosecutor. This character is so cartoonish that the only thing missing is a neon necklace that flashes "racist" as he speaks. Sophia Bush has a brief, yet important scene and Sterling K Brown (as Mr. Spell) has the film's most heart-breaking moment as he sits on the stand and explains why he lied.

    Director Reginald Hudlin seems like an odd choice for the project. He has been working mostly in TV since back-to-back-to-back bombs BOOMERANG (Eddie Murphy), THE LADIES MAN (Tim Meadow) and SERVING SARA (Matthew Perry). Mr. Hudlin has experienced more success as a Producer, having been Oscar nominated for DJANGO UNCHAINED. Here he works with the father and son screenwriters Jacob Koskoff and Michael Koskoff. The elder Michael is a well respected criminal attorney and legal historian, and certainly understands the expectations that come with offering a public look at a near- mythical figure … especially one as revered as Thurgood Marshall.

    This isn't so much a movie about the icon as it is about a young man on the path to greatness and importance (he served on the Supreme Court from 1967-1991). The soundtrack is filled with jazz which complements the light-hearted approach, and further distances from any semblance of "heavy" or "historical". Director Hudlin adds a contemporary touch by having Trayvon Martin's parents (Sybrina Fulton, Tracy Martin) appear in a scene near the end. On the downside, multiple upshot camera angles are designed to make his lead character look larger than life. The truth is, Thurgood Marshall required no help in looming large. Hopefully this mainstream approach pays off and many are introduced to the legacy of a man who is more than worthy of this movie … and another.
    helpful•56
    13
    • ferguson-6
    • Oct 12, 2017

    Details

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    • Release date
      • October 13, 2017 (United States)
      • United States
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • Official Facebook
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Buffalo, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Chestnut Ridge Productions
      • China Wit Media
      • Starlight Culture Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 58 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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