3. The Trial of the Chicago 7
The Trial of the Chicago 7 is written and directed by acclaimed writer Aaron Sorkin. Only his second time behind the camera, Sorkin fits back into the director’s chair comfortably. This time he tackles the true story surrounding the aftermath of the anti-Vietnam protests which took place in Illinois in 1968.
Sorkin’s usual trait of trading historical accuracy for narrative impact is more than prominent here. The plot beats are powerfully effective, just don’t recount them to your history teacher. The Oscars don’t have a habit of caring about this particularly, but it’s still unlikely to take home the gold.
That being said, as a piece of historical fiction the movie excels in a lot of places. The performances are solid across the board. The script is sharp and quick, with breakneck pacing that doesn’t feel nearly as long as it is. The ending, if more than little cheesy, is a deeply satisfying resolution.
However, this aforementioned cheese is where some of the film’s issues start to sneak in. Sorkin maybe doesn’t quite treat this subject matter with the reverence it deserves, at least compared to another film on this list which we’ll get to. One could easily accuse him of sugarcoating some of the themes and events, and one could less easily refute this.
Still, it’s a tremendously effective movie with a great ensemble cast and has Sorkin typically on-form with a strong screenplay.
