“This is the Academy Awards of protests and as far as I'm concerned it's an honor just to be nominated.”
The Trial of the Chicago 7 resonates as much as it does because even though it is a dramatization of events from 50 years ago, it feels like it could have been based on current events. I knew next to nothing about the Chicago 7 before watching this movie, but I also know that good movies don’t always make for good history. However, The Trial of the Chicago 7 does the best thing a movie based on an important true story can do: it gives me a strong sense of what things were like for the people involved and it makes me want to learn more. I have never cared much for Aaron Sorkin’s TV projects, but I have really enjoyed his film writing (A Few Good Men, The Social Network) and even his work as a director (Molly’s Game). As with Molly’s Game, Sorkin writes and directs, but it is clear that Sorkin the writer is at the helm. Aaron Sorkin is aware that his forte is writing speeches and debates and that awareness can also be his problem. This based-on-true-events courtroom drama is in many ways what you expect, but it is no less satisfying to watch.
Protests against the Vietnam War at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago turned into riots and 7 people (actually 8) were arrested and charged with crossing state lines to intentionally start a riot, though, of course, this was not true. We see dramatizations of the trial, strategy sessions and arguments the 7 have with each other and their lawyer, and flashbacks of the events leading up to the protests turned riots and why that turn happened (it might be unfortunately no surprise or shock to find out that the police, not the accused 7, escalated the protests into riots).
This is the epitome of an ensemble cast. Every role, major and minor, is a distinct one and played by recognizable name or face. It is an impressive and slightly distracting cast. When the defense team tracks down an important witness you spend the preceding scene wondering what celebrity will be waiting for them at the end of the hall. The standouts of the ensemble are Sacha Baron Cohen, who has earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in the very showy role of Abbie Hoffman, Mark Rylance as William Kunstler, the determined lawyer for the 7, and Frank Langella as the prejudiced, frustrating, and incompetent Judge Julius Hoffman. Eddie Redmayne gives a good performance as Tom Hayden, the head of Students for a Democratic Society, but his best scenes are his arguments/debates with Cohen as Abbie Hoffman. I really enjoyed their scenes together; both are on the same side and want to achieve the same goal but are on different paths.
The 8th person on trial is Bobby Seale, the national chairman of the Black Panthers, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. who was not involved in the planning of any of the DNC protests but was charged nevertheless and lumped into the trial as part of the FBI’s campaign against the Panthers. The scenes with Seale are noteworthy not just for the injustice being dealt to him but for Mateen’s performance as well. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays the federal prosecutor and does a good job in a pretty restrained role. John Carol Lynch and others also turn in solid performances but in a cast this stacked it is difficult to stand out.
The story of the Chicago 7 is perfect material for Sorkin. It allows for lengthy speeches, wordy arguments, memorable characters, and declarations about political and moral values. The runtime is just over two hours but for a dialogue heavy movie, it is well paced and engaging. I think Sorkin successfully makes this into something more than just another courtroom drama. The Trial of the Chicago 7 feels like a pageant at times but it is one that needs to be performed and is done so very well. This film doesn’t have the at times frenetic feel of Molly’s Game—which really feels like he was trying to recreate Danny Boyle’s lively aesthetic—or an especially distinct visual style. Here Sorkin lets the dialogue and performances shape the movie.
Nominee: Marc Platt, Stuart Besser, producers
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance
Production Companies:Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures, Marc Platt Productions, ShivHans Pictures
Distributor: Netflix
Release Date: September 25th, 2020
Total Nominations: 6, including Best Picture
Other Nominations: Supporting Actor-Sacha Baron Cohen; Original Screenplay-Aaron Sorkin; Editing-Alan Baumgarten; Cinematography- Phedon Papamichael; Original Song-Celeste, Daniel Pemberton for "Hear My Voice"
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