First of all, I was surprised to find out that this HBO movie was actually not a movie but a play that simply had been recorded. I guess I never bothered to do some research. I learned about "Thurgood" when I was watching the Emmys (Fishburne was nominated for his role as the civil rights -legal- activist). It definitely took me a few minutes to figure out why Thurgood Marshall was on a stage in the opening scene.
Being quite familiar with the background and jurisprudence of Justice Marshall, I found that this play was an accurate depiction of the life and time on the bench of this great progressive judge.
The reason I am giving this play/movie an 8 is because of Laurence Fishburne. He OWNS this performance. At times, I forgot I was watching a well-known actor. He merged into his character and played this great and lively man without overacting. A tour de force for Fishburne.
Fishburne carries this production by himself for over 1:30 hours but we never get tired of his presence on stage.
I also appreciated the simplicity of the set, which included only a chair, a table and a few accessories. There was nothing to distract us from Fishburne's performance.
It most certainly makes sense to have a one-man play about the life of Thurgood Marshall, considering that Justice Marshall was such a unique and interesting character.
I hope that eventually, we do get to see a movie (or "real" TV movie) on the life of Justice Marshall. Every American ought to know about the first African-American to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court and his legacy.
Being quite familiar with the background and jurisprudence of Justice Marshall, I found that this play was an accurate depiction of the life and time on the bench of this great progressive judge.
The reason I am giving this play/movie an 8 is because of Laurence Fishburne. He OWNS this performance. At times, I forgot I was watching a well-known actor. He merged into his character and played this great and lively man without overacting. A tour de force for Fishburne.
Fishburne carries this production by himself for over 1:30 hours but we never get tired of his presence on stage.
I also appreciated the simplicity of the set, which included only a chair, a table and a few accessories. There was nothing to distract us from Fishburne's performance.
It most certainly makes sense to have a one-man play about the life of Thurgood Marshall, considering that Justice Marshall was such a unique and interesting character.
I hope that eventually, we do get to see a movie (or "real" TV movie) on the life of Justice Marshall. Every American ought to know about the first African-American to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court and his legacy.