Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, battles through one of his career-defining cases.
Marshall (2017) delivers strong performances, particularly from Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall and Josh Gad as his co-counsel, anchoring an engaging courtroom drama. The acting is the clear standout, bringing historical weight and charisma to the material. However, the film follows a fairly conventional legal drama structure — a competent but formulaic courtroom thriller that doesn't break new ground narratively or visually. The cinematography is period-appropriate but unremarkable. The novelty suffers from the film's adherence to well-worn biopic and courtroom drama conventions. The ending, while historically satisfying, arrives with little surprise and wraps up neatly in a way typical of the genre.