Based on true events, Marie is a biopic about a woman who defied her corrupt government bosses and endured lies, threats, and murder to expose the truth. The 112-minute film, also known as Marie: A True Story, was released on Blu-ray last August by way of the Warner Archive Collection. It is presented in a 2.39:1 Letterbox aspect ratio and a DTS HD-MA 2.0 soundtrack. The Blu-ray release does not come with any bonus features aside from the theatrical trailer.

The story opens in Marietta, Georgia, in 1968, where Marie Ragghianti (Sissy Spacek) escapes an abusive marriage and returns to Nashville with her three children. By 1973, she is balancing college coursework with late-night shifts as a cocktail waitress when her youngest son, Ricky (Shane Wexel), chokes on a pistachio. Although doctors find no obstruction, Ricky develops ongoing breathing problems that continue to trouble the family. Around this time, Marie completes her degree and, through former classmate Eddie Sisk (Jeff Daniels), lands a position in the Tennessee governor’s office, where she eventually rises to chair of the parole board.

What should be a proud milestone soon exposes her to the ugly machinery of state politics. She learns that clemencies are being traded for favors and political contributions, and she is pressured to sign off on the early release of violent offenders. As Marie resists, she finds herself up against a network of corruption tied directly to Governor Ray Blanton (Don Hood). Threats, intimidation, and even a staged DUI arrest are used to try to break her resolve.

Despite personal turmoil and Ricky’s health (which improves after a doctor finds the pistachio shell lodged in his chest), Marie refuses to yield. With encouragement from her colleague Kevin McCormack (Keith Szarabajka) and the backing of lawyer Fred Thompson (Fred Thompson, in his acting debut), she challenges her dismissal from the parole board and speaks out about the corruption she has witnessed. The fight grows dangerous—Kevin is murdered under suspicious circumstances, and key evidence disappears—but Marie remains determined to bring the truth to light.

Her persistence pays off. Federal investigators reopened the case after Marie won her lawsuit, convicting Eddie Sisk and Bill Thompson (Michael P. Moran) for selling clemencies. Governor Blanton himself is ousted from office for clemency abuses before his term ended and sent to prison for related corruption charges. Though marked by loss and hardship, Marie emerges with her integrity intact, later turning her ordeal into a platform as a writer and lecturer on justice and government accountability. Years later, she would work as the chief of staff for the United States Parole Commission and be appointed a member of the U.S. Parole Commission National Appeals Board.

Marie Ragghianti did her job. Unfortunately, she became the victim of corrupt officials who believed they were above the law. That wasn’t right then, and it sure as hell isn’t right now. The fact that those same officials went as far as to murder Kevin simply because he quit his job rather than testify against Marie is just… I don’t even have the words. Spacek’s portrayal of Marie is, in my view, award-worthy. I just can’t say which actress she might have replaced in that year’s Oscar lineup. For what it’s worth, the film received no major nominations.

Fred Thompson isn’t in the film for long, but the attorney plays himself, marking the beginning of his acting career. Thompson had already made his name as minority counsel during the Senate Watergate Committee hearings—his questioning of White House aide Alexander Butterfield revealed the existence of the White House taping system and became a turning point in the Watergate investigation. Outside of the years he devoted to politics, Thompson continued acting until his death in 2015. It’s to director Roger Donaldson’s credit that he thought to cast Thompson as himself.

What infuriates me most in watching this story unfold is that Governor Blanton was a Democrat. Whether he was a conservative Democrat, I can’t say, but there is no room for this type of corruption in any party. I’ve often associated such blatant abuses of power with Republicans—though, of course, corruption isn’t exclusive to one side of the aisle. Still, it leaves a bitter taste. Blanton was unafraid to stoop that low, and it comes through powerfully in the film’s suspenseful and thrilling atmosphere, heightened all the more by Francis Lai’s score.

Nearly forty years later, Marie still resonates as both a cautionary tale and an inspiring portrait of courage. It’s a reminder that corruption thrives when people look the other way, but also that one person’s integrity can make a difference, even against powerful institutions. Watching Marie Ragghianti refuse to be silenced—while balancing the pain of family struggles and the dangers of political retaliation—remains compelling and relevant today. For all its suspense and drama, the film’s greatest strength lies in showing that doing the right thing is never easy, but always necessary.

Bonus Feature

• Original Theatrical Trailer

DIRECTOR: Roger Donaldson
SCREENWRITER: John Briley
CAST: Sissy Spacek, Jeff Daniels, Keith Szarabajka, Morgan Freeman, and Fred Thompson

MGM/UA released Marie in theaters on September 25, 1985. Grade: 4/5

Please subscribe to Solzy on Buttondown and visit Dugout Dirt.