Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Chicago 7 is classic Sorkin. It's a courtroom drama (a la A Few Good Men) that exposes the deep seeded fissures and corruption in the American political system (a la The News Room), filled with clever, rapid dialogue (a la... well pretty much all his work), all wrapped up in an extremely entertaining package that you just can't take your eyes off of. 

First and foremost, Sorkin has made a fun film to watch. He has crafted something completely engaging. He hooks you by being entertaining and making something worth watching. Then as you're hooked, he works his magic story telling to tell us a story that is worth telling, perhaps one we've forgotten, because we want to forget, or perhaps because we have been told something different about this story, something they want us to think. Sorkin breaks all that down through this glossy little history lesson.

Sorkin's approach, as it often is, is to find and inspire hope amongst some of the darkest moments in history. Sorkin is a patriot and can't help weaving into his narratives, a belief in the American democratic, that it can overcome all the roadblocks Americans themselves put up against it. So as the trial winds it way to its conclusion, a conclusion which doesn't got well and then gets appealed and thrown out, he stops his film in this moment of dramatic patriotism. The music swells, the crowd rises to its feet applauding. It was a moment that just seems to perfect, too constructed. But in reality the trial didn't end well, and despite the appeals America didn't heal itself from this.

I get that historical dramas need to embellish for dramatic effect. And I don't believe any of Sorkin's embellishments take away from the historicity of the events. I think his take is quite and accurate capturing of what was going on in this trial. But I didn't buy his hopeful ending.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 deals with very real 20th century problems. By looking back at this 1960s event, he is exposing the political attacks on democracy that are currently happening. But his answers in the end just feel too easy. I think, for me, Chicago 7 never faced the sad reality of the decline of American democracy. So while he does an amazing job of capturing this moment, and he does so in such a way that the audience will be completely entertained and engaged, he never quite captures the warning that these events are asking us to consider. And instead, as the film reaches its rather saccharine crescendo, it feels like we are being told everything will just work out if we stand up for what's right. But if anything this story really is teaching us the opposite.  

Still, this is a remarkable work. The ensemble cast (of pretty much all men) are all excellent from Langella's villainous judge, to Cohen's hilarious radical, to Gordon-Levitt's tortured prosecutor. But for me the stand out was Abdul-Mateen in a role that was just not given enough time to shine. He's excellent and his scenes are by far the most powerful. And in many ways, his story feels jilted at the end.

I do recommend this film for the history is brings to light, for the wonderful performances, and for Sorkin's signature sceenplay magic which is always enjoyable. You won't regret watching it and in the end it gives us all so much to think about.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Shenkman

Writer/Director: Aaron Sorkin