'The Trial of the Chicago 7' Review—Absolutely Gripping

I have spent hours trying to come up with a good opening joke to begin my review, but I can't come up with anything funny. Therefore, I'm just going to leave you with this: "you can't handle the truth!" Did you laugh? Yeah, I know. I'll start the review.

Aaron Sorkin writes and directs The Trial of the Chicago 7, a courtroom drama based on the true story of the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the subsequent trial with seven men charged by the United States federal government with conspiracy and inciting the riots.

Many have mentioned the timeliness of this film with the recent civil unrest and protests throughout the country. It is evident that Sorkin was aware of this when writing the screenplay, as there are many parallels to today and the film deals with these issues in an intelligent, respectful fashion.

Sorkin has gained recognition over the decades for penning the screenplays for films such as The Social Network and A Few Good Men and creating the famous TV series, The West Wing. His trademark styles are ever so present in this film with fast-paced dialogue and an absolutely gripping retelling of actual events.

Fans of his prior work will find much to enjoy in this film that may not have as much wittiness as his other scripts but retains the fast pace and compelling nonlinear narrative. This film is Sorkin's second time directing a movie (the first being the underrated Molly's Game), and he does a respectable job with some well-crafted sequences.

There are sequences where we have courtroom scenes intercut with reenactments of the events, and the sound design and musical score combined with the perfectly paced editing is enough to pull viewers to the edge of their seats.

What makes this more unique than other Sorkin historical dramas is that it does not have a protagonist. We have an ensemble cast, which includes Sacha Baron Cohen playing against type in a dramatic role as Abbie Hoffman. Eddie Redmayne puts on a thick American accent for the role of Tom Hayden, and he delivers an excellent performance.

Abbie and Tom are the two leading players in the film, and they share a well-written scene where we see how different their ideologies are and how they protest for very different reasons. They are the two most interesting characters, but unfortunately, this is one of the film's faults.

Every performance in the movie is natural and excellent, but with each character generally receiving an equal amount of screen time, none of them particularly stand out.

While they are all very distinct, there are so many characters that it's difficult to care about them individually because of how little the audience knows about their backstory and their beliefs. None of them have much to them besides what is surface level.

Sorkin doesn't include as many zingers as his other films, nor is there the emotional weight of Steve Jobs's relationship with his daughter in Steve Jobs and Molly Bloom's relationship with her father in Molly's Game. But he does include the brief moments of levity that make this film even more enjoyable.

This is a critical film that remains relevant to what the country is experiencing now. It's a movie about our right to protest, our relationship with the police, and the incitement of riots. The film displays right and wrong on both sides of the equation and allows us to look at certain events in different lights.

Films like this offer a lot to enjoy, and when you have someone like Sorkin behind the wheel, the whole world will be watching.

Grade: ★★★★☆ [8/10, B+]

Rating: R for language throughout, some violence, bloody images and drug use