Marshall – Blu-ray Movie Review

Synopsis

Before Thurgood Marshall sat on the US Supreme Court, he was an NAACP lawyer fighting racism and injustice in the Sixties. Thurgood Marshall, in his capacity as a criminal defense lawyer for the NAACP, is assigned a case in Connecticut where a young chauffer has been accused of raping his employer. Marshall teams up with a local Jewish attorney who is loath to get involved. Together they work tirelessly to uncover the truth and prevent an innocent man from going to prison for life.

Specifications

Universal
2017, Color, Rated PG-13, 1 Hr 58 mins
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.00:1 Aspect Ratio
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson
Directed by Reginald Hudlin

Rating

Entertainment:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Violence: Brief
Sex: Brief
Language: Mild

Commentary

Marshall is the true story of a landmark case Thurgood Marshall took on during his tenure with the NAACP. Though muzzled by the judge (James Cromwell), he mounts a skillful defense with the help of local Jewish lawyer Sam Friedman, played brilliantly by Josh Gad. Speaking of performances, it’s another win for Chadwick Boseman who once again shows his amazing ability to disappear into a role. You might recognize him from Get On Up where he became James Brown, or from the Captain America films where he plays Black Panther. Another notable performance comes from Dan Stevens as the prosecutor. He is best-known for his role as Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey.

Secrets Sponsor

As a biopic, it covers only a single event in Thurgood Marshall’s life but does so with good accuracy. It’s definitely a movie that will inspire the viewer to learn more about the man. It manages to depict the racism and brutality of the sixties without resorting to a lot of violent content. There are only two brief scenes that might disturb younger children. It’s worth watching for its educational value and it is an interesting story that is well-told.

Technical

The image is clean and crisp with a natural and nicely-saturated color palette. The only flaw is a variation in contrast that is visible within many scenes. It’s obvious when different cameras are used to photograph the various angles because the black level changes from shot to shot.

Secrets Sponsor

The DTS-HD Master Audio encode is mixed with good depth and clarity. Dialog is the main attraction and that is presented clearly from the center channel. Sound effects and music are sparse but contribute to a reasonably wide soundstage. The surround and subwoofer channels will get a break during this film.

Extras

There are no bonus features included with this release.

Chris Eberle

Chris' passion for audio began when he took up playing the bassoon at age 12. During his third year at the New England Conservatory of Music, he won a position with the West Point Band where he served for 26 years as principal bassoonist. He retired from the Army in 2013 and is now writing full time and performing as a freelance musician in Central Florida. As an avid movie lover, Chris was unable to turn away the 50-inch Samsung DLP TV that arrived at his door one day, thus launching him irrevocably into an obsession with home theater. Dissatisfied with the image quality of his new acquisition, Chris trained with the Imaging Science Foundation in 2006 and became a professional display calibrator. His ultimate theater desires were realized when he completed construction of a dedicated cinema/listening room in his home. Chris is extremely fortunate that his need for quality audio and video is shared and supported by his wife of over 25 years. In his spare time he enjoys riding his recumbent trike at least 100 miles per week, trying out new restaurants, going to theme parks and spending as much time as possible watching movies and listening to music. Chris enjoys bringing his observations and discoveries about every kind of home theater product to as many curious and well-informed readers as possible. He is proud to be a part of the Team and hopes to help everyone enjoy their AV experiences to the fullest.