The Most Rebellious Film of the Decade
'The Trial of the Chicago 7' (2020), written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, is a film that will make your blood boil, agitate you, internally scream for justice. Based on the real trial that followed the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests in Chicago, it follows seven men charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot against a government that had already decided their verdict before the trial began. Aaron Sorkin is one of the sharpest writers in all of cinema. From 'A Few Good Men' to his Academy Award winning script of 'The Social Network', he's an absolute inspiration to screenwriters across the globe (including me). Every scene crackles with this electric, barely contained fury with the most diehard revolutionaries and the snappy interactions they have with each other. This is a courtroom drama that understands that the courtroom is not where the real fight is happening. The real fight is about who gets to control the story and alter history to make themselves look good. It's a feral, biting social commentary piece, more politically relevant than anything else in Sorkin's filmography.
source: imdb.com
Sorkin Conducting an Orchestra:
The casting director is a freaking genius because the roster assembled here is such an oddball-esque selection, and I love it. Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Mark Rylance are all operating at peak but it is Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman who completely steals the show. Who knew this comedian had serious acting chops? He is unbelievably charming, witty and contains unexpected emotional depth like any one of a kind revolutionary. It reframes everything you thought you knew about him as a performer. Mark Rylance as defense attorney William Kunstler brings this quiet fury every scene with his calculated character. Phedon Papamichael's cinematography moves with this urgent, restless energy that mirrors a bloody good Tarantino film with the twists of the courtroom. Alan Baumgarten's editing is relentless, cutting between the courtroom and the protest footage with a rhythm that builds crazy tension. It takes inspiration from the law dramas before it and maybe there's some Safdie sprinkled in there too. The non-linear structure that Sorkin employs here is used beautifully to give us so much by refusing to give it all at once.
Democracy Doesn't Back Down:
What is remarkable about The Trial of the Chicago 7 is how little it feels like a period piece. Sorkin has made a history lesson with immense style in his cutthroat nature. He is still very much in his golden years as a writer-director. The relationship between state power, protest, race and justice hits hard in our times just as it was in 1968 and the confidence in the filmmaking shows that they're very aware. It received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. The final scene of this film rivals any law drama conclusion, including "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH" which was of course by Sorkin himself. It will give you chills the first time and goosebumps on every other watch. Aaron Sorkin made something here that is more urgent and rebellious than any film coming out today with the same subject matter. It deserves to be spoken about in those terms without apology and I'm sure that's exactly what'll be achieved soon.
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