The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) Movie Review
I love a good courtroom and/or legal drama: A Few Good Men, Just Mercy, Erin Brockovich, the list is endless. So I figured I would like The Trial of the Chicago 7. The Trial of the Chicago 7 was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. It is based on the true story of eight defendants who are charged with inciting a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
It’s a bit of a confusing backstory (especially if you don’t have prior knowledge about the case) so let me try to simplify it with the main characters for you. First, here are the eight defendants. Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) was known for being a bit of a prankster and he was a member and co-founder of the Youth International Party, otherwise known as the yippies. Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) was a friend of Hoffman’s and helped to co-found the YIP. He’s a bit of a bumbling stoner in the movie, which is a good foil for Hoffman.
Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne) was a member of the Students for Democratic Society (SDS) and later joined the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam (MOBE). He’s depicted as the most clean-cut of the group. Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp) was a friend of Hayden’s and a member of the SDS and MOBE. He plays a smaller role in the film and his pivotal moment comes when he’s brutally beaten by the Chicago Police. David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch) was a radical pacifist who went to jail for being a conscientious objector in WWII. He’s the oldest in the group of defendants and there are several mentions of him being a Boy Scout leader.
John Froines (Danny Flaherty) and Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins) get the least screen time. They were both acquitted of all charges. The eighth defendant was Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). He co-founded the Black Panther Party and his case was severed from the other seven defendants, hence why it is The Trial of the Chicago 7 instead of the Chicago 8. Those are the major players in the movie and a brief backstory for each.
For the movie itself, Sorkin does a remarkable job of shoving 8 people and where they came from and what they wanted into a two hour and nine minute movie. There is a heavier focus on Hoffman and Hayden because their ideologies are different and they are the best foils for each other. Sorkin mixes facts with some fiction, and bends the story to make it a bit more impactful and cinematic.
However, one thing he does not have to fib on is the treatment of the defendants. The judge in the case was Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella) and he gave out hundreds of citations for contempt of court. He also was overtly racist and elitist and held a clear bias that was evident to all those involved. The worst event in the trial was one that I had to look up to see if Sorkin invented. He did not. Bobby Seale was indeed gagged and handcuffed to his chair in the courtroom. The symbolism of this scene (especially due to the political climate we have currently) speaks volumes.
The trial was a complete and utter circus from the beginning, and Sorkin left out many of the more fantastical ploys and celebrity witnesses that were utilized. However, in true Sorkin fashion he laden’s the movie with high-morality monologues and lofty political theorizations. He only gets overly sentimental at the end when he has Tom Hayden read the names of all of the soldiers who had been killed in Vietnam (this did not happen in the actual trial).
Sorkin’s screenplay is of course helped greatly by performances from Cohen, Redmayne, Langella, and even Joseph Gordon-Levitt who plays the conservative and uptight lawyer Richard Schultz. What makes this movie even more impactful are the parallels one can draw between the late 1960’s and the current political climate. There is much political unrest and the government is trying desperately to contain the “American” way of governing. These long haired hippies and political activists are challenging the bureaucratic system and fighting for what they believe in. Some of the scenes where the police begin beating the protestors will remind you of similar scenes you might have seen on the news recently.
The mantra “the only thing we learn from history, is that we don’t learn from history” is loudly on display in The Trial of the Chicago 7. Sorkin’s direction and screenplay are impeccable if you can set aside the liberties he takes on the facts of the trial. Cohen steals the show with an impressive acting performance. And the supporting cast provides humor and a firm grounding for the story. Overall, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is one you won’t want to miss.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like courtroom dramas
2. You’re interested in the late 1960’s
3. You’re interested in political movements and ideologies
