The Trial of the Chicago 7
By Charlotte Dekle
Image Source: IMDb
logline: The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
Source: IMDb
Fourteen years ago, director Stephen Spielberg directed Aaron Sorkin to create a movie about the Chicago Seven. With more than a decade of trials and tribulations, it finally got made. Spielberg instructed Sorkin to release this film near an election, and you can see why. In this time of political upheaval and a cultural revolution on the horizon, our democratic institutions are under threat, especially our freedom of protest. Sorkin wants to take you back to the late 60s where the same activities were occurring. For, even by today's standards, the 60s were a dismal time in American history. With the assassination of both Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy in 1968 and the Vietnam War casualties reaching hundreds every day, the 60s were a turbulent political atmosphere. Before I launch into the bulk of the review, I want to say that some facts are rearranged to fit the dramatic structure. This is not a documentary; it is a movie. So, Sorkin might have exchanged some historical accuracy for a creative license. Now, Aaron Sorkin is one of the greatest living screenwriters and he has been working in the business for decades. This is his second venture into directing where, in his own words, he discovered light. Light shining through the fog and tear gas that creates the illusion of more people than are there. Most of the courtroom scenes made you feel like a spectator or on the jury. The riot scenes interweave actual archival footage with the footage from the film seamlessly to add more historical significance to the film. Now, onto the script. It contains all the Sorkin staples: the rat-a-tat ping pong dialogue, the rapid-fire exposition conveyed through introductory sequences, but surprisingly less walking and talking. But a lot of people talking in rooms. The film focuses heavily on a handful of characters that are not all part of the Chicago 7. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, leader of the Black Panthers Bobby Seale, was not even a member of the Chicago 7 but was still tried with them on purely circumstantial evidence. Though this film is not without its shortcomings, for there is only so much you can squeeze into 2 hours and 10 minutes, but I would have watched another 7 hours of brilliant banter with character growth. The characters sound more like Sorkin diatribes rather than actual human beings, which is a usual pitfall of Sorkin. But his dialogue is so scholarly that you can not help but enjoy every conversation. The courtroom scenes are riveting, despite the partisan judge who was issuing contempt charges like candy resulting in many dismayed looks from the characters. In general, this movie is timely, with political upheaval and a cultural revolution being relevant topics. This is one of the best films of the year, handling Sorkin's usual witty but verbose script, and dramatic flair with a real heart pulsating underneath. In one of the last scenes of the movie, an ambitious, young, but not heartless prosecutor asks Abbie Hoffman (one of the Chicago Seven) if he has contempt for our government. Hoffman responded, “the institutions of our democracy are wonderful things, but they are populated by terrible people.”
My Favorite Characters:
Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman: I have to report this movie as stolen. Baron-Cohen stole this film from the grasp of a cast brimming with talent. His Boston accent is not spot-on but the role is a departure from his usual zany humor. His testimony towards the end of the movie was a definite highlight for me. But the role was not without its humor. There was a substantial amount of his screen-time dedicated to a glorified standup set that coincided with an important event. These moments, Baron-Cohen knocks out of the park. He was the first person cast in the movie. His chemistry with Jeremy Strong’s Jerry Rubin (another comedic stoner gem) and Eddie Redmayne’s Tom Hayden (see below) is palpable which makes Abbie Hoffman, no relation to Judge Julius Hoffman, a favorite character for me.
Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden: these British actors really can do fantastic American accents. I’ll admit, it was jarring to hear him with hard ‘r’s. But when I got used to it, that accent was on-point. Though I do wish that there were some sort of captions because Redmayne’s iconic mumbling made it hard for me to understand sometimes. We all know that Eddie Redmayne is a wonderful actor and his acting in this movie is no different. But he had a wonderful arc from revolutionary that still respected authority to a revolutionary that has less respect for authority. His character is similar to Marius from Les Miserables; both are attractive revolutionaries who see the world through rose-tinted glasses but slowly lose their naiveté as the film progresses.
Yahya Abdul Mateen II as Bobby Seale: Emmy-Winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II gives a stellar performance as the leader of the Black Panthers. I wish he had more screen time because I would’ve loved to see his character post-mistrial. Abdul-Mateen's character is probably the most relevant to the Black Lives Matter movement. Seale was being unfairly treated by the justice system, being tried without the presence of a lawyer. When he spoke out against it, he got restrained and gagged.
This movie is rated R. Here’s why:
Language
Some Violence
Bloody Images
Drug Use
Favorite Part: I just want to use to praise the other actors in this film that I didn’t mention above. Every actor in this movie is fantastic, it was so hard to pick just three. But there is a severe lack of female characters, there are only two women that are named. But they are never in scenes together. This could be due to the lack of historical female representation but he already took creative liberty, just give us one woman please! But now onto the entirely male cast praise. Mark Rylance was phenomenal as William Kuntsler, the lawyer representing the Chicago Seven in court. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was amazing as Richard Schultz, the ambitious, young prosecutor who slowly becomes more of an ally to the Chicago Seven than a foe. Michael Keaton was great in the two scenes he was in as Ramsey Clark, the former Attorney General. Though his scenes did not advance the plot, they were there to affirm our ideas of who the heroes were. Frank Langella was great at being infuriating as Judge Julius Hoffman. Jeremy Strong showed his range as the Costello to Baron Cohen’s Abbott, exchanging witty banter like it is Who's On First. But I would’ve appreciated more women.
Where to Watch:
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