The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Directed by

Aaron Sorkin

Genre

legal drama, historical film, historical drama

Country

United States

Runtime

2h 09m

Rated

R

Rating

7.7 of 10 from 3,386 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 1969, seven antiwar activists go on trial for conspiracy and inciting a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The courtroom proceedings turn into a showdown between the defendants' fiery defiance and a hostile judge.

tensetalkyurgentcerebralrighteoussuspensefulwittyindignant

What happens

The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a 2020 American historical legal drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. The film follows the Chicago Seven, a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It features an ensemble cast including Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Daniel Flaherty, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Noah Robbins, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Ben Shenkman, and Jeremy Strong. Sorkin wrote the screenplay in 2007, with the intent of Steven Spielberg directing the film and cast mostly unknown actors. After the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike and budget concerns forced Spielberg to drop out as director, Sorkin was announced as director in October 2018, and much of the cast joined the same month, with Spielberg instead serving as executive producer. Filming took place in the fall of 2019 in Chicago and around New Jersey. Originally planned for a theatrical release by Paramount Pictures, the distribution rights to the film were sold to Netflix due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trial of the Chicago 7 was released in selected theaters on September 25, 2020, and began streaming digitally on Netflix on October 16. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly from Baron Cohen), Sorkin's screenplay, the cinematography, the editing and the modern parallels to the 1960s. The film earned six nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Baron Cohen. It also received five nominations at the 78th Golden Globe Awards (winning for Best Screenplay), three at the 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards (winning Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture), and three at the 74th British Academy Film Awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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• Chicago 10 (2007)
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• Medium Cool (1969)
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