The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Trial of the Chicago 7

What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.

  • Released: 2020-09-25
  • Runtime: 130 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, History
  • Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong, Noah Robbins, Danny Flaherty, Ben Shenkman, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Caitlin FitzGerald, Alice Kremelberg, J. C. MacKenzie, John Doman, Wayne Duvall, Damian Young, C.J. Wilson, Brady Jenness, Meghan Rafferty, Juliette Angelo, Brendan Burke, Tah von Allmen, Alan Metoskie, John Gawlik, Kevin O'Donnell, Gavin Haag, Tiffany Denise Hobbs, Steve Routman, Madison Nichols, John F. Carpenter, Larry Mitchell, Mike Geraghty, Mike Brunlieb, James Pravasilis, Vic Kuligoski, Brandon Fierro, Calvin Ticknor-Swanson, Gabrielle Perrea, Michelle Hurst, Tony Lawry, Kathleen Garrett, Matt LeFevour, Christian Litke, Max Adler, Michael Bassett, Shawn Parsons, Julian Hester, John Quilty, Kate Miller, Edward Fletcher, Blair Lewin, Jessica Wood, Steven Komito, Marco Lama, Ben Kass, Gabriel Franken, Ed Flynn, Alex Henderson, David Fierro, Sam Nelson Harris, Marlee Mendelson, Hana Chew, Ashley Trumbo, Allison Trumbo, Shane Skidmore, Jeffrey Yonkus, Maria Jacobson, Brendan Brown, Dan MacDonald, Keeley Morris, Thomas John Gallagher, Michael A. Dean, Elizabeth Holder, Lex Elle
  • Director: Aaron Sorkin
 Comments
  • Mysterygeneration - 23 February 2024
    An Exciting Test for Humanity and History
    "The Trial of the Chicago 7" is more than simply a courtroom drama; it's a powerful concoction of politics, history, and social criticism that's served out ice cold in the stormy year of 2020 and shaken with Aaron Sorkin's trademark incisive dialogue.

    The movie plungs you headlong into the crucible of the 1968 DNC protests, where seven very different characters-from the feisty Abbie Hoffman to the sober Tom Hayden-unite under the questionable pretext of "conspiracy." With Judge Julius Hoffman (feistily depicted by Frank Langella) representing the strong hand of an institution desperately holding onto power, their trial becomes a microcosm of a nation split.

    Sorkin skillfully blends humor and suspense by interweaving personal tales with legal disputes in his script. Eddie Redmayne gives a subtle performance as Hayden, battling the weight of responsibility, while Sacha Baron Cohen excels as Hoffman, bringing fun and mayhem into the proceedings. The supporting ensemble is also excellent, ranging from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Panther leader to Mark Rylance's astute defense attorney.

    The movie makes no attempt to hide its historical background, drawing comparisons between the political landscape of 2020 and the 1960s. These parallels undoubtedly strike a chord, igniting discussions about free speech, dissent, and the pursuit of social justice-even though some may view them as overly harsh.

    But "The Trial of the Chicago 7" is not without its shortcomings. Though thrilling, the fast-paced conversation occasionally feels overblown. Additionally, the movie oversimplifies some historical issues, which makes viewers yearn for more information.

    "The Trial of the Chicago 7" is nevertheless a potent and thought-provoking movie in spite of these small errors. It serves as a reminder that the past is never completely gone and that we must always strive to create a more just and equal future by learning from its lessons.
  • outrunkid - 19 April 2023
    An interesting chapter of history
    I went into this not knowing anything about the Chicago 7/8 but this film really inspired me to research what actually happened and why and frankly it seems to me that a lot is actually played down. I think it goes to show the talent and skill and story-telling prowess of Aaron Sorkin to make such an interesting and at times intensely nerve-racking film but not including the real-life outlandishness that happened.

    Pretty much everything here is interesting and well-done - of course a fantastic script by Sorkin, solid if not outstanding direction by him too, a great cast that really pull-off their characters well, great attention to detail. I was pretty much hooked from start to finish with this film and I wasn't disappointed.

    A great watch.
  • martymoves - 31 August 2022
    Typical
    Its amazing how many people will watch this and take everything at face value, as if it, like any other american made political drama or war film is nothing but historially acurrate. What a joke.

    What these people watching fail to realise is that they treat other people just the same as the "villains" in this film.

    Everyone thinks that left-wing thinking is always correct, those that dont follow the narrative are wrong. Then those hypocrites will love this movie.

    This was a time when protesting and advocacy meant something. Today people are nothing more than fascists, who think that "right-wing" is a negative term, used to slander people who dont follow the regime. Disgusting.

    A film perfectly timed for its release, because only the hypocrites will love it for its "message". Nevermind the fact they were protesting at the democratic party, not republican. Let that sink in.

    At the end, its a movie. Not a literal re-telling of the details and facts. Which is why so many will love it. People aren't interested in the details and facts today, only what fuels their selfish agendas.

    Entertaining as a film. Harmful as a tool of societal destruction. There was no need to rehash this now. But sex sells... like the extreme left don't get off on this.
  • pibwl - 3 March 2022
    Utterly boring for non USA viewers...
    Maybe it is a important subject, maybe acting is decent, but the film is just boring and definitely at least half an hour too long. Maybe I am just not a fan of American court dramas - or maybe the story, and especially court procedure is thrilling for US citizens only. Otherwise, a waste of time. I'm not glad of it, because I've read good things about the movie, and the story was important.

    Or wait - it is possible to make interesting US court drama. But it needs to be "12 angry men". Or "Chicago". But you need to try hard to make US court procedure interesting...