“The Trial of the Chicago 7” —Movie Review
★★★★½ of 5
The year was 1968: The United States had just seen its greatest increase in monthly casualties after President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered to ramp up the number of draft totals per month for deployment in Vietnam. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King and Democratic Senator Robert Kennedy were assassinated, just months apart. And the Democratic Party was slated to hold a convention in Chicago to determine their nominee for the upcoming Presidential election late that year.
With these unfolding, anti-war protesters from different groups and factions decide to hold their protests for the government to take accountability and end the war. Riots ensue, largely due to the failure of the Chicago Police to handle the situation, with the aftermath garnering national news coverage. After many months, arrests were made to people charged with planning all the riots that happened.
"The whole world is watching."
These are five words echoing throughout "The Trial of the Chicago 7," Aaron Sorkin's latest historical film about that group of anti-Vietnam War protesters who were charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
'Trial' isn’t a documentary; in fact, Sorkin’s screenplay featured a few made-up scenes that, while retaining the spirit of the civil unrest, compromised historical accuracy as a result. In its weakest points, the movie feels excessively theatrical, so much that it almost resorts to melodrama reserved for television. Nonetheless, it’s this same irreverence to history—along with Sorkin’s patented audacity—that drives the resonant points home. Because at its strongest, 'Trial' works.
And boy, does it resonate really well.
Much has been said about the movie's timeliness, especially in scenes where the police use excessive force as if they were above the law. Then there's presiding judge Julius Hoffman (wonderfully played by Frank Langella), whose open disdain for the accused shows how he thought he was the law.
Finally, bringing to life Sorkin's trademark rapid-fire dialogue are the terrific performances. I have to say that this film boasts of the best cast assembled in recent years, and not one of them disappointed. Apart from Langella, three stand out (and deserve awards consideration): Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Richard Schultz; the first two for portraying protesters with different ideals but with same pacifist goals, and the latter for coming to terms with his values not in line with the politics he's serving.
"The Trial of the Chicago 7" may have been a historical film about the anti-war protests, but it’s also a film that shows a broken justice system headed by people whose politics and personal agenda mean more than serving with fairness and impartiality. It shows that history always sides with people who get arrested for their ideals and not with those who abuse their power.
Because for better or worse, "The whole world is watching."
Watch the trailer for “The Trial of the Chicago 7” below.
