Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, battles through one of his career-defining cases.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.9/10
IMDb: 7.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.46/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Metacritic: 66
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Reginald Hudlin
Production
Chestnut Ridge, Starlight Culture Entertainment Group, Hudlin Entertainment, Stage 6 Films, Open Road Films
Cast
Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Sterling K. Brown, James Cromwell, Dan Stevens, Sophia Bush, Jussie Smollett, Marina Squerciati, Keesha Sharp, Jeremy Bobb, Barrett Doss, John Magaro, Rozonda Thomas, Jeffrey DeMunn, Josie DiVincenzo, Derrick Baskin, Ed Jewett, Robert Bozek, Michael Bernardi
Where to watch
Starz, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A solid, earnest courtroom drama anchored by Chadwick Boseman, but it’s more conventional and less Marshall-centered than the title suggests. The case is engaging and the period detail is effective, yet the script leans heavily on a white co-lead and familiar biopic beats.
Best for
viewers who like courtroom dramas
fans of Chadwick Boseman
audiences interested in civil rights history
people who don’t mind a straightforward prestige-drama structure
Skip if
you want a deeply focused Thurgood Marshall biopic
you’re impatient with formulaic awards-season dramas
you dislike cases where the supporting lead gets too much narrative weight
you want a more formally distinctive legal film
Overview
Marshall is the kind of respectable, watchable historical drama that gets by on craft, performance, and the inherent force of its subject matter. Chadwick Boseman brings authority and cool precision to Thurgood Marshall, and the film’s courtroom passages have enough tension to carry it even when the script follows familiar biopic rhythms.
Worth noting
The biggest limitation is structural: the movie often feels more interested in its white co-defendant’s lawyer than in Marshall himself, which blunts the impact of what should be a landmark portrait. That choice may be meant to broaden the story’s perspective, but it also dilutes the title character’s presence.
Bottom line
Still, the film works as an accessible entry point into an important chapter of civil rights history. It’s not the definitive Marshall movie many viewers may want, but it is earnest, well-acted, and often compelling enough to recommend with reservations.
Top Letterboxd reviews
davidehrlich (2.5★) · 284 likes
There are two very different explanations for why “Marshall” — ostensibly a biopic about Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice of the United States — isn’t really about Thurgood Marshall so much as it’s about a shaky Jewish lawyer who Marshall once coached through a case. The first (and more generous) of the explanations is that the world could use an inspiring film about different kinds of discriminated against Americans joining forces to fight the prejudice that betrays… more There are two very different explanations for why “Marshall” — ostensibly a biopic about Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice of the United States — isn’t really about Thurgood Marshall so much as it’s about a shaky Jewish lawyer who Marshall once coached through a case. The first (and more generous) of the explanations is that the world could use an inspiring film about different kinds of discriminated against Americans joining forces to fight the prejudice that betrays… more
Emily Housel (2.5★) · 212 likes
man I wish this was actually about Thurgood Marshall
Tay (3★) · 194 likes
this is the sort of movie that your high school history teacher shows you on a day when they don't have a lesson plan figured out or when it's near the end of the semester & everyone's checked the fuck out
meaning: it's fine. it does something significant enough that i don't hate josh gad every second he's onscreen??? but even more pressingly, it makes me ask why he needs to be onscreen at all. whyyy did we need a white… more
Dominic Griffin · 87 likes
You know what a movie about legendary black man Thurgood Marshall needs? COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF JOSH GAD.
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (3.5★) · 82 likes
Another film I've heard here and there for a while and having hit Netflix not so long time ago decided to give it a watch, especially as I've been slowly trying to get into the late Chadwick Boseman work. In the case of this film, he does a very good job delivering the goods even when just like his character on the court, he's not allowed too much to shine, but he doesn't last any second on screen and again,… more Another film I've heard here and there for a while and having hit Netflix not so long time ago decided to give it a watch, especially as I've been slowly trying to get into the late Chadwick Boseman work. In the case of this film, he does a very good job delivering the goods even when just like his character on the court, he's not allowed too much to shine, but he doesn't last any second on screen and again,… more