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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ben Shenkman, Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne and Alex Sharp in The Chicago 7 Trial.
Photo: Nico Tavernise / Netflix
OUR RATING
4/5 stars
WHAT IS IT ABOUT:
After protests against the Vietnam War outside of the Democratic National Convention in 1968 went badly wrong, seven leaders of different protest groups are charged with conspiracy to incite violence. Who and what really turned the peaceful protests into a violent revolt? Are these charges just an excuse to lock up some of the most popular anti-establishment figures of the time? As his highly publicized court case stretches for months, it becomes increasingly clear that what is on trial is more than just his freedom. Based on a true story.
WHAT WE THINK:
There’s something serendipitous about writer / director Aaron Sorkin’s latest film, The Chicago 7 trial, hitting Netflix the same week as a reunion special of his signature job, the west wing, released on HBO MAX in support of the “When We All Vote” initiative.
First released more than 20 years ago, The west wing It was Sorkin’s political fantasy that basically boiled down to the simplest premise: What if the United States government was run by only the smartest and most committed people in the country? Now, in 2020, the classic show has never looked more fanciful and, in his view, is a heartwarming reminder of what politics can be like or a bitter reminder of how far American politics has fallen, at least from one point of view. of sight. liberal point of view.
The Chicago 7 trial is, on the surface, quite a different beast compared to The west wing. It is a two-hour standalone movie. It is a courtroom drama rather than a political drama in the workplace. It is based on a well-known and well-documented true story. And yet as you see The west wing right now it’s a good reflection of what you might think of Sorkin’s very particular dramatization of this true story.
Sorkin manipulates the facts of the story a bit in his retelling of a pivotal moment in the countercultural revolution, but the film still has all the usual Sorkinisms that can be traced back, not just re- the west wing, if not Sports night and the American President. He has the same self-righteous, fast-talking, super smart, and super resourceful characters that Sorkin is known for, and the fact that they are based on real people is a huge bonus.
How Joshua Furst’s article for Forward He points out, Sorkin is a sympathetic center-left liberal who has always been less interested in blowing up the system than in getting the right people to reform it. That’s the modus operandi behind everything from The west wing to The news room, and it’s absolutely the guiding principle here. That revolutionaries like Abbie Hoffman and Tom Hayden would likely find more to relate to in tougher Sorkin films like The social network Y Charlie Wilson’s war than in the soft liberalism of his tender portraits here.
However, does any of this make the movie less worth seeing? Well yeah, if you’re not a fan of Aaron Sorkin. This is probably the least likely of your recent movies to convert you. Certainly, if you’re the type of person who thinks Bernie Sanders is too far to the right, this movie will probably get you drinking. However, if you are a fan of Sorkin, especially when he’s shooting at full blast, then The proof Chicago 7 it is a must see. You just have to know that it’s Sorkin’s very particular take on these actual events – there’s a much more objective documentary out there if you’re just looking for the facts.
Even if Sorkin doesn’t overemphasize the fact that the protests for which the Chicago 7 were tried were actually against a Democratic candidate who, in his opinion, did not go far enough to oppose the Vietnam War, his passionate plea for impartial and just justice. A system that treats people fairly and fairly and is not governed by partisan politics could hardly be more timely. Certainly, the protests of Black Lives Matter resonate throughout the film. First, in the way the Nixon government in the film uses the justice system to try to beat the overwhelmingly non-violent protesters, but along the way, the only black person on trial: Black Panther member Bobby Seale (brilliantly played by Watchmen Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who was the eighth unofficial member of the Chicago 7 despite having almost nothing to do with them, is treated so horribly by Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella, typically exceptional).
It is true that Sorkin is still not as impressive a director as a screenwriter is (the film was originally a project by Steven Spielberg who brought Sorkin in to write with the intention of directing it himself) and his direction here is even less remarkable than in his directorial debut, Molly’s game. It’s interesting to imagine what someone like Spielberg or David Fincher could have done with this script. Still, for a very contained story that focuses entirely on people talking (and talking and talking), it’s amazing how compelling the movie is to the end and how viscerally emotional it is as well. It caught my eye during every minute of its 2+ hour runtime, and it made me think, made me laugh, and filled me with a righteous anger that took me by surprise.
With such a ridiculously great cast list, I guess I don’t need to mention that the acting is uniformly spectacular, but considering that it takes a certain type of actor to handle Sorkin’s idiosyncratic dialogue, it really says something that not one of the dozen. the main actors lower the side for a second. They’re all so good it’s hard to pick the best moments, but Sasha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman was a particularly great casting hit. If an Aaron Sorkin project lives and dies for its actors (and it does), then this is one of the most animated and vital films of the year.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
WATCH IT NOW ON NETFLIX
