Marshall Page #5

Synopsis: The story of Thurgood Marshall, the crusading lawyer who would become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.
Genre: Biography, Drama
Director(s): Reginald Hudlin
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 16 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.2
Metacritic:
66
PG-13
Year:
2017
118 min
2,498 Views


disregard the question.

Now...

Mrs. Strubing told you

that after pushing her

into the water,

Joseph threw rocks at her

from the bridge.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Were there any

rocks on the bridge?

I don't know.

There may have been.

But there were rocks in the area

around the bridge. Is that correct?

Yes, there were.

About how big were they?

I really couldn't say.

Were they...

any bigger than this, Captain?

I can't say they were.

This... This is a pebble,

isn't it, Captain?

You could call it that.

What would you call it?

A pebble.

A pebble.

So, in summary, Captain,

it is your belief that this man

threw Mrs. Strubing

into a placid lake,

then gathered pebbles

to toss at her

while she waited patiently

under the bridge.

Object.

Withdrawn.

No further questions,

Your Honor.

Captain Burke, you are excused.

Court is adjourned.

All rise.

Mr. Friedman.

Well done.

Well done.

Let's go.

Why are you smiling?

I think we scored

some points there.

This isn't a sporting event.

A man's life is on the line.

A word with you, Friedman.

Yes, of course.

Alone.

Or to you both.

The doctor who examined Ellie

is testifying tomorrow.

It's rather personal, of course.

These are private people...

Please get to the point.

Excuse me?

I've spoken with John Strubing, and

he's willing to consider a plea.

It's my decision, of course,

but plead your boy and I'll

recommend a sentence of 20 years.

Otherwise, he gets life. No.

No deals.

Mr. Friedman?

Not my call.

Of course. You have to

speak to your client.

I'll expect a different

answer in the morning.

Even with good behavior,

you'd be locked up

at least 14 years.

I could maybe do that.

They don't know we

found the cop, Joseph.

We don't even know

if Strubing will show up.

- You could walk out of here a free man.

- But if she does...

If you wrong...

Listen.

The decision is yours.

Sam.

I need to talk to Joseph.

Are you asking me to leave?

Of course not.

He's your client.

I'm asking you to listen.

When we first met,

I told you I'd only defend you if you were

innocent, and you told me you were innocent.

You remember?

I remember.

Did you lie to me?

No, I didn't lie.

So I'm gonna ask you again.

Did you commit this crime?

No. But you're willing

to say you did.

If I got to.

For the deal.

If you "got to"?

My great-granddaddy

was a slave.

Were your people slaves, Joseph?

When we were slaves we had

to do what the master said.

But... we're not slaves now,

are we?

No, we ain't slaves.

You say that like it's nothin'.

We ain't slaves because we rose up and

we fought and we fought and we fought

till we got our freedom.

Isn't that right?

My granddaddy escaped

when he was 15.

Fought off four men and an

attack dog, my mama said.

Okay, then you tell me this.

After what your granddaddy did

to get his freedom,

you're just gonna give it

right back for nothing,

for something

you didn't even do?

Understand this.

If you want your freedom, you're

gonna have to fight for it.

But you don't have to fight alone.

That's why I'm here.

We've got weapons now, Joseph.

Our people do.

Weapons we didn't have before.

We've got the law.

And you've got Sam,

one of the finest young trial lawyers

in this country, on your side.

You really think we can win?

I wouldn't be here if I

didn't think we could win.

Dr. Sayer, please tell the

jury your field of specialty.

I specialize in the field of

gynecology, and I deliver babies.

On the morning she was

discovered in the reservoir,

did you have occasion to examine Mrs.

Eleanor Strubing?

Yes.

She was brought to my home

by the police at...

Let's see.

6:
30 in the morning.

Did she tell you

what had happened?

Objection. Hearsay.

Overruled.

Doctor?

I've forgotten the question.

What did Mrs. Strubing

tell you?

She told me

that she had been raped

by a colored man

who worked for her.

What was her mental state

during all of this?

She was severely

distraught, weeping.

She kept repeating, "Am I pregnant?

Am I pregnant?"

Did you then examine her? Yes.

My wife assisted

by removing her clothing.

It was torn, wet, and muddy.

I noted bruises

on her arms and legs

and numerous abrasions and

contusions on both extremities.

I then performed

an internal exam.

Do you have an opinion, based upon

reasonable medical certainty,

as to whether or not

she had been raped?

Beyond question,

Mr. Willis.

It was all consistent with rape.

Thank you.

Your witness.

Get the records.

Medical records.

Get them.

Your Honor, may we please see the

medical records of Dr. Sayer?

Object.

These are personal.

Overruled.

I'm sorry, Mr. Willis, but the

witness referred to them.

They must be turned over.

Thank you, Your Honor.

May I?

Abrasions and contusions. Those are

scrapes and cuts, aren't they, Doctor?

Yes. Scrapes,

scratches, bruises.

Right.

Well, the fall from the bridge and

the climb through the pine forest

could be responsible for cuts

and bruises, could it not?

It's possible.

You did an internal exam

and you found...

"edema, swelling,

traces of blood."

Yes.

And it was based on this that you

determined that she was raped?

Indeed.

But those same findings...

are equally consistent

with a woman who took a lover

and engaged in vigorous sexual intercourse

over the course of an evening.

Objection. How dare you. There

is no evidence of any lover.

Sustained.

There's no place for that in

my courtroom, Mr. Friedman.

Of course, Your Honor.

I-I'm sorry.

- Hello?

- Hey, baby.

No, they just pulled me

out of proceedings.

The baby...

didn't make it.

And it was just so much worse this time.

The bleeding was just...

It wouldn't stop.

I'm so sorry.

I should be there.

Buster?

Buster, are you there?

Yeah, I'm...

I'm here.

Where are you?

Do you have any further questions, Mr.

Friedman?

Mrs. Strubing told you

that she resisted her assailant?

Yes, she did.

And you looked under her

fingernails too, didn't you,

to see if you could find

any traces of skin?

I did.

What did you find?

Splinters, dirt in some...

Any skin, Doctor?

No, Sam.

Yes. I was just

about to get to that.

Excuse me?

There was skin.

Wh-Where...

Where in these records does it say

anything about finding traces of skin?

It's not in the records.

My wife took the notes. She did not

write down that bit of information.

Why not, Doctor?

Why would she not record that?

Out of respect for the patient's

privacy, Mr. Friedman.

It was the skin

of a colored man.

No further questions.

It wasn't in the records. They

got a doctor to lie under oath.

How do we fight against that?

You asked the exact question

Willis wanted you to ask.

- What were you thinking?

- Where the hell were you?

Getting instructions

from Walter White?

See what happens when I don't hold

your hand? You panic like an amateur.

You should have let him

take the deal.

Goddamn it, would you shut up about

the deal? We have an alibi witness.

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Jacob Koskoff

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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