The Trial of The Chicago 7 is one of those movies that has been getting a lot of buzz lately. The movie is based around the 1968 Democratic Convention held in Chicago, where there was a anti Vietnam protest turned into a riot. They arrest a group of individuals responsible and they are known as the Chicago 7 and also known as the Chicago 8. The script for this movie was written back in 2007 and finally saw the light of day as it was released this year on Netflix. It was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin who has only directed one movie prior, Molly’s Game. Although he only directed one movie he wrote great movies such as Steve Jobs, Social Network, Moneyball and A Few Good Men. We also have an All Star cast in this movie with Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), Alex Sharp (The Hustle), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Hugo), Jeremy Strong (The Big Short), John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac), Yayan Abdul - Manteen (Aquaman), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Joseph Gordon Levitt (Inception) and many many more!
The beautiful thing about this movie is that it contains a very heavy subject that teaches the audience about the event that happened. From the opening scene the movie hooks you in wit its clever writing and editing. We quickly get introduced to the characters we are about to watch and they are pretty fleshed out by the end. With the runtime of 2 hours and 9 minutes, this court room drama could have been a very boring film. This was not the case. The movie is very engaging and has a very creative way to tell the story. We see the characters telling their story and get cuts to those scenes being played out and also get glimpses of real life footage. Each scene is perfectly crafted in a way that it feels like it has a first, second and third act. The acting is this movie is phenomenal and we will most likely see some nominations come out of this movie. Each person carries their weight in this movie. We also have an All Star team behind the camera as well! We have cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (Ford V Ferrari) really delivering a well shot movie. Editor Alan Baumgarten (American Hustle) stitches this movie so well that the pacing is excellent. Two hours flies by when watching this movie. We see the story told in many different perspectives and their are some great use of tension throughout. There were many times that I wanted to stand up because I was stressed watching what was happening. Their are some great emotional scenes that really dive deep into what really happened those day. This event that happened so long ago is still relevant today. You can honestly see a lot of similarities of back then to now, which is sad. That makes this movie that much more important as well.
Final thoughts. This movie is not meant for the action lovers. It is very much a drama and a historical piece. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves history and a slower type of movie. You will get a well crafted movie with some great performances. There is a lot to love about this movie and we will see that shine when It comes to the Oscars! This is streaming on Netflix right now too! If you have the streaming service you should give this movie a try!