Marie

[1985, Movie]

Marie: Review

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The true story of Marie Ragghianti, a woman who fought corruption in Tennessee, is a powerful film from a book by Peter Maas with a screenplay by Oscar-winner John Briley and a first US assignment for New Zealand director Roger Donaldson. Marie (Sissy Spacek) leaves home in 1968 after being brutalized by her husband. A mother of three, she must struggle as she stays at her mother's home, works as a waitress, and puts herself through Vanderbilt University. An old pal, Eddie Sisk (Jeff Daniels), helps her get a job with the state. He's the governor's legal counsel and not without power in the hierarchy, so her job as extradition director is an excellent first rung for her. It's not long before she rises in the state bureaucracy and becomes a member of the parole board and finally the chairperson of that board. It's not too long before Marie realizes that the governor (Don Hood) is using his influence to get some powerful criminals released. The movie could have become a cliched investigatory picture, as did so many after Watergate. Director Donaldson keeps matters moving. Spacek is superb and so is Daniels, unaccustomed as he is to the villain's role. But the acting surprise is the work of Fred Thompson, playing himself as the real-life attorney who handled the case for Marie Ragghianti.