Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American man to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. As such, it's about time we (and our children) know more about this man.

 

Director Reginald Hudlin ("Django Unchained," "House Party, etc.") has taken a script by Jacob and Michael Koskoff and created an informative movie that illustrates one of the casesMarshall handled while he was with the NAACP. This gives us a flavor for the times that shaped him.

 

Part of Hudlin's cast:

 

• * Chadwick Bozeman (he has played Jackie Robinson and James Brown!) isThurgood Marshall, born intelligent, arrogant and ambitious, this highly educated attorney hung out with the best, e.g., Langston Hughes and friends. He has no patience for fools.
• * Josh Gad ("Frozen" and "Beauty and the Beast") is Sam Friedman, the insecure Jewish fellow who gets ramrodded into accepting a criminal case even though he has only tried civil suits. 
• * Keisha Sharp ("Lethal Weapon") is Buster Marshall, the best wife for a man withMarshall's ambitions: she understands his long game.
• * Sterling K. Brown ("This is Us") Joseph Spell has been wrongfully accused of a crime he did not commit and he maintains his innocence.
• * Kate Hudson ("Deepwater Horizon") Eleanor Strubing insists her accusations are true.
• * James Cromwell ("The Promise") Judge Foster is a dogmatic iron-fisted dictator in his court room. His mind is made up.
• * Dan Stevens ("Beauty and the Beast") Attorney for the prosecution Loren Willis has the confidence born of his superior connections. 

From the get-go, we can see the huge cultural gap between these two men. They get intoFriedman's car and Marshall immediately changes the car radio from classical music to jazz. Marshall is a stranger in town but Friedman has to live there when the trial is over. 

 

This PG-13 Biography/Drama has excellent depictions of how tough were the civil rights issues in the '60s and how the movement evolved. Be prepared for gunfire and physical violence; overwhelming prejudice and clever courtroom tactics. Be sure to stay for the wrap-up that plays during the closing credits. That's always satisfying....

 

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Take a look:
http://www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi2448275737
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