If anyone can make a real-life based courtroom drama film interesting, it is Aaron Sorkin. This film tells the story of the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, USA and the trial of the seven men held responsible that follows. The cast boasts many big names, from Eddie Redmayne to Yahya Abdul Mateen II to Michael Keaton to Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Sacha Baron-Cohen. It shows how much protest is ingrained in what it is to be American and how much the American judicial system is not equipped to deal with that fact.
Mark Rylance stars as the lawyer representing the Chicago Seven and although his American accent is admirable, he doesn’t quite reach the mark as the hard-ass, menacing character. Sorkin’s writing shines through Baron-Cohen and Jeremy Strong’s characters of ‘Yippies’ and ensures that the legal jargon is balanced well with humorous relief. The story of Bobby Seal provides an ever-necessary reminder of the discrimination that black people face in the judicial system and how the odds are stacked against the defendants from the start.
The style is witty and engaging and has added to the catalogue of this years’ historical films that reflects and speaks to the current times. Sorkin has knocked it out of the park once again.
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ is available to stream on Netflix.
Pep Reviews 