It’s up for the debate on who the greatest living screenwriter is, both alive or dead. Some people, for instance, would say that the greatest filmmaker that’s ever walked the face of the Earth is Steven Spielberg, and who could blame you for picking him? There’s a good argument to be made that regard, but as far as screenwriting goes, it doesn’t get the highlight nor the competition that directors might get. That being the case, Aaron Sorkin is the quintessential Godfather of the screenwriting. Even if it’s a movie that he didn’t direct, Sorkin’s writing is full of life and realism, while not being realistic at all. His style of writing is the type where it almost acts as music, where each dialogue exchange is has rhythm and a subtle beat, which creates more drama and tension. Every Sorkin script has Oscar written all over it, whether it’s Moneyball, Molly’s Game, The Social Network, Steve Jobs or the classic A Few Good Men, Sorkin will always create a story that serves as the complete backbone for any movie. The Trial of the Chicago is yet another testament to how talent Sorkin is as screenwriter, but also as a director. Even with Sorkin being praised with his direction and storytelling, The Trail of the Chicago 7 is a completely captivating, engrossing and compelling tale that speaks volumes to our current society. It’s full of wonderful performances from the entire ensemble and despite what the current status of Oscars may be, this is THE front runner for Best Picture.
Set in the later 1960s, The Trial of the Chicago 7 focuses on the seven defendants who were charged by the federal government with conspiracy and several other charges that were making an appearance at he countercultural protests in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The trial enthralled the country and then created a new set of discourse about the disorder that was intended to undermine the U.S. government.
First things first, we have to talk about the script for this movie. We already know what makes a great Aaron Sorkin script, and it’s no surprise that the writing in The Trial of the Chicago 7 is marvelously written. But something that this movie brings back is something that’s been missing in Hollywood is great court room scenes. Sorkin isn’t just the king of screenwriting, he’s the king of creating court room scenes, and the reason why these scenes stand out is because it lets the dialogue become the performer. It shines a spot light on the exchange between the characters and it locks you in, which makes everything surrounding the events of the story more investing. So, be prepared because The Trial of the Chicago 7 is full of court room scenes and each and every one of them is as staggering and as powerful as the next one comes along.
First things first, we have to talk about the script for this movie. We already know what makes a great Aaron Sorkin script, and it’s no surprise that the writing in The Trial of the Chicago 7 is marvelously written. But something that this movie brings back is something that’s been missing in Hollywood is great court room scenes. Sorkin isn’t just the king of screenwriting, he’s the king of creating court room scenes, and the reason why these scenes stand out is because it lets the dialogue become the performer. It shines a spot light on the exchange between the characters and it locks you in, which makes everything surrounding the events of the story more investing. So, be prepared because The Trial of the Chicago 7 is full of court room scenes and each and every one of them is as staggering and as powerful as the next one comes along.
We all love what Aaron Sorkin is able to accomplish when it comes to his scripts, but with The Trial of the Chicago 7 being Sorkin’s second directorial effort, it proves that he has a master class eye for telling as story as the sole director. It’s a shame that his directorial debut in Molly’s Game practically got no love or attention at the Academy Awards, because it proved that Sorkin can direct a great movie. With The Trial of the Chicago 7, Sorkin stepped his game up in spades by focusing on every single and crucial detail, whether it’s the performances, the capturing of the style of 1960s and giving audiences an important history lesson, without it feeling heavy handed. Sorkin has the ability to tell a story that feels organic, raw and a point of view that people can get on board with and with Netflix being the distributor for The Trial of the Chicago 7 and with theaters not showing any high profiled movie, this is really the perfect time for this movie to get more attention.
The performances from every single actor in The Trial of the Chicago 7 is beyond incredible. With an ensemble that includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Mark Rylance and even Michael Keaton, every performer is given the right amount of screen time and turns out some of their best work to date. There’s a good argument to be made on any one of these actors being the best part of the whole movie, but when looking at the body of work and the true talent that he really is, Sacha Baron Cohen was by far the best performer in The Trial of the Chicago 7. We all love him from Borat, but Sacha Baron Cohen is one of the most undervalued performers in Hollywood. He’s a wonderful comedian, an amazing singer and what The Trial of the Chicago 7 showcases is wonderful of a dramatic actor he can become. Again, there’s a solid case for picking someone like Redmayne, Keaton or Even Rylance, who all give beautiful and superb performances, but Sacha Baron Cohen is the standout because of how much of a shift it his for him as a performer.
The times were living in are scary and might be uncomfortable for a good portion of people, and while The Trial of the Chicago 7 is very topical and resonating, it’s still a wonderfully made movie with outstanding performances, brilliant writing and a terrific representation of displaying amazing talent through the eyes of Aaron Sorkin.
My grade for The Trial of the Chicago 7: A+
The Trial of the Chicago 7 is now on Netflix.
Zane's take at the Cinema's 