The Trial of the Chicago 7

Historic dramas tend to usually be the area that's my least favorite to watch per my lack of interest depending on the era but it can't be denied that they can entice the audience into researching more about the topic itself. Of course a reason to bring these big screen ventures regarding past events or the life of the person would be to see how the actions displayed are relevant towards today. However, not all of them can grab my attention as there needs to be something that can catch my attention (such as Hidden Figures 2016). This brings us a new entry in that subgenre, The Trial of the Chicago 7, which was directed and written by Aaron Sorkin. Initially intended for a theatrical release, the distribution rights was sold to Netflix due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a good deal of buzz surrounding it due to Sorkin's great writing talents and the big star cast involved. Without looking at the marketing for it, I ended up impressed with the execution and relevance of this interpretation of a big court case. 

What's it about? After the riots at the 1968 National Democratic Convention, this true story follows seven anti-Vietnam War protesters from different groups being accused of trespassing the even to incite violence. With the amount of harsh and depressing circumstances going on in this era, the screenplay and editing to setup up what's going on creates a great swift balance that acknowledges the stakes while adding some entertainment value there. The underlying activities taking place between civil unrest and leaders abusing powers to set an example is a display of how little has progressed. The flashbacks of past events being talked about in the trial blend well with the urgency and smooth pacing of the conflict at hand. What's fascinating about this court case here is how most of the aspects that appear to be over-exaggerated had actually occurred (or was even worse in real one). It definitely has the crowdpleaser Hollywood elements to pop up but they don't drag down the experience.

There are a few wrinkles in the quality that hold back this drama. There are some obvious add-ons that never happened the way they as depicted (just a usual thing to expect for a "based on a true story" flick). The ending can get a bit sappy cliche to where it might take viewers out of the film but it should be noted that aspect did happen in the real trial but just not that way it's shown. 

 

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are Mark Rylance, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Frank Langella. Mark is definitely a great highlight as the defense counsel with solid interactions with those around him (his talents shouldn't be surprising considering how he was in Dunkirk (2017)). Sacha is one of the MVPs as he manages a perfect blend of some comedic line deliveries as well as more serious moments as a fascinating anti-war individual. Frank is the other MVP as his disgruntled responses as a presiding judge for this trial deliver on how horribly he mistreats the defendants, Honorable mentions go to Jeremy Strong, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Michael Keaton due to the formers good blend of comedy plus his chemistry with Sacha all being a delight while the latter two shine well in their respective roles despite their limited screen time. 

 

Overall Consensus: The Trial of the Chicago 7 is an engaging historic legal with a stellar screenplay, strong performances, relevant messages/themes, nice doses of humor, and smooth pacing. ⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿 Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes R

 

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or writer Aaron Sorkin. You are fond of period features showing a legal battle where the actions reflect how little the USA progressed from that. You are unaware of the Chicago 7 case from 1968 and are curious about what occurred. You like having some funny crowd pleasing lines and scenes of entertainment sprinkled in to break up the serious nature (even Sorkin knew he also needed to entertain and not be super accurate with details). 

 

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or writer Aaron Sorkin. You are unaware of the Chicago 7 case from 1968 but aren't curious about what occurred. You dislike having some funny crowd pleasing lines of entertainment sprinkled in to break up the serious nature.