The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a courtroom drama entailing the events leading to and the aftermath of anti-Vietnam war protests which ended up in riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The movie captures the court case that ensued on the Chicago 7 for inciting a riot. The movie starts with introducing each of the main characters with their backgrounds, their motives, etc. After the initial set of scenes, the movie kicks-off with the key protesters being accused of a Federal Crime. The movie then goes on to showcase the accurate story about the high-profile & historic case it ended up being with an outlandish judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella) presiding the trial and a young prosecutor Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) making the case for the government.
Firstly, the casting for the movie should be lauded for gathering an ensemble of actors that perfectly fit in the roles. Often at times, movies try to cast very big names for all the characters which makes the movie shallow and unpleasing, but here the balance of the actors surely keeps on the dynamism the creators would have expected. For major parts, the story stays to the point with an accurate portrayal of historic events. The background score & music helps in the further indulgence of the viewers. Mark Rylance does a fantastic job playing the defense counsel. Other actors too do a satisfactory job not leaving room for much criticism. Lastly, Aaron Sorkin’s writing is amazing as always and he doesn’t do a bad job directing the movie too.
One aspect that bugged me throughout the movie was the non-linear storytelling, the constant back & forth from recent past to present was not be required, but it still could have been done in a better way if the creators deemed it important. Some fictional plotlines/characters always exist in the genre of movies, here the good thing is that artistic liberty is not stretched out, but a few real storylines are eliminated maybe to keep the running time at a limit. This can be disappointing for viewers who are well-acquainted with the real story. Lastly, the film gives a very biased portrayal of the historical ordeal.
The real story happened during a very significant time of historical importance. Recent times have seen the resurgence of similar types of issues with citizens questioning the actions of their government, making the movie relevant emulating the sign of the times. All in all, the movie does a good job and will be enjoyable for everyone because of its quick pace. If you love movies based on real-life events it’s a much-watch & will end up being a fantastic watch. For others, it may not be a must-watch be still is a great movie when compared to some of Netflix’s recent productions.
Acting- 8.5
Casting- 9.5
Cinematography- 8
Dialogue- 7.5
Directing- 8
Editing & Effects- 7.5
Sound & Music- 9
Story- 8.5
Storytelling- 7.5
Rating- 8.5
Available on: Netflix
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