The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (2020) Review

This film hit Netflix today and has been highly anticipated and here is my review for The Trial Of The Chicago 7. The premise of the film is based on the true story of 7 men put on trial for various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. 

Main Character

This film is definitely and ensemble cast but I will pick a few as the main characters, Eddie Redmayne is a top actor when he isn't in Jupiter Ascending and he does a really good job here. He just gives a very strong performance as he is an interesting character that has an interesting backstory and approach in the movie. When it comes to Sasha Baron Cohen I always imagine him in the over the top comedic roles like Borat but he gives a great dramatic performance here The dynamic between the two of them is fascinating to watch and actually Cohen's comedy is just funny, it isn't shocking but is naturally funny which is a nice surprise. 

Supporting Characters

For me though Mark Rylance maybe gives the best performance here, he plays the groups lawyer and he gives a really strong performance. You can see he is trying to defend these people and he is getting more and more frustrated, he kind of feels like the audience and you feel like he is the character you see the film through. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the opposition lawyer and he does a really good job too, you can tell he is very good at his job and even though he isn't completely believing of the case he gives his all to his work. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays basically the 8th member of the group and he does a really good job in his role, he is just a really strong actor and his character does go through a lot in the film. Also credit to Frank Langella who plays the Judge and this guy is one of the most unlikeable people ever on film and I just couldn't stand watching him, which means he does a good job here. All the acting is great here and it is the films biggest strength. 

Story 

I am a big fan of Courtroom dramas and this film nails it, it is so intense and has twists and turns throughout. The setting is uncomfortable and the room becomes more and more stressed and disturbing as the film progresses. But I thought the film didn't do as good a job when it was out of the courtroom, it kind of skips over part of the plot and characters and then tries to make you care about them and you just don't, I would have been happy in seeing a longer film with the extra context but alas that is not here. 

Script

This film is written and directed by acclaimed writer Aaron Sorkin and his fingerprints are all over this film. It is just very clever writing and finds a really good balance between unsettling drama and some well done comedy making this a memorable script.

Style 

The style of this film is pretty uncomfortable and pretty gripping, the courtroom setting is great and adds so much drama to the plot and the direction. It's just as I said before the pacing of some of the story arcs isn't great and for once I just wish the film had been a bit longer. 

Overall

Overall, this is a great dramatic film. It has a brilliant cast and a brilliant production to make it an interesting film and one I would say is worth a watch. 

Rating - 8/10