The Trial of the Chicago 7
2020
****
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Daniel Flaherty, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Michael Keaton,
Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Noah Robbins, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong
In August 1968, thousands of anti–Vietnam War protesters come to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, where they inevitably clash with the police and National Guardsmen. Seven leaders of the organising groups (and one Black Panther) are tried for inciting riots. Aaron Sorkin's fact-based drama sheds light on this biased political trial, which made a mockery of justice. The resulting film is gripping, shocking, and bitingly funny. The cast is excellent and Sorkin's dialogue is reliably sharp.
