I’ve been looking forward to Aaron Sorkin’s latest film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, since it was announced, and it pleases me to announce that it didn’t let me down. Sorkin didn’t let me down, but I had no reason to think he would.
As a fan of political thrillers and timely dramas, the entirety of the Sorkin catalog has been right in my wheelhouse. I’ve considered him my favorite Hollywood writer for more than a decade, and this latest effort only supports that opinion.
For those who don’t recognize the name, Sorkin’s list of writing credits includes A Few Good Men, The American President, Moneyball, The Social Network, and Steve Jobs. He has also created four shows for TV: Sports Night, The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and The Newsroom. He has won four Primetime Emmy’s and two Golden Globes, and one of his three Oscar nominations resulted in a trophy, which he won for The Social Network in 2011.
That kind of track record means the bar is raised just a little higher each time out, and Sorkin’s latest clears it easily.
Starring such names as Sasha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, and Frank Langella, the movie is based on the trial of seven people accused of conspiring to start the Chicago riots, which coincided with the 1968 Democratic Convention.
A little before my time–but not much–I knew there were riots in Chicago in 1968, and I knew that they had something to do with the Democratic Convention. Also, I knew Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Tom Hayden were Vietnam war protestors, but not much more than that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Seven
As such, the film was not only a thing of entertainment for me, but it was also a history lesson. I enjoyed both immensely.
There’s not much more to say, but to recommend the film. It has an 8.0 score on IMDb.com, and it can be seen on Netflix. I’ll leave you with a couple of trailers. Be well, my friends. Prayers from here.
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