The Trial of the Chicago 7 | Film Review

 
Hey Guys x

I knew nothing about this film, and had absolutely no desire to see it, until I saw the trailer on Netflix. I can't remember if I've ever seen a trailer that's made me feel the way that this one has. It captivated me, it gave me goosebumps, I was completely gripped, and it was only two minutes long! From that, I knew I had to see the film.  

In 1969, 8 men are on trial for a variety of crimes sparked by, what was supposed to be, a peaceful protest of the Vietnam war. The trial captivates the nation, highlighting lies, injustice and the terrifying consequences of trying to start a revolution.

There are no words to describe how much I loved this film.

For a start, you wouldn't expect a film set almost entirely in a court room to be filled with so much character development, or so much tension. This film is written so well, and the dialogue is so powerful, that words are all that's needed to completely change the atmosphere of the room. In some places it actually felt more like a play, because of how dialogue-heavy it was, and how important the dialogue was. 

The film focuses on the trial, and then uses both flashbacks, and at some points real footage from 1969, to tell this story. For me, not only is this really effective, but telling the story in this way was really captivating. I found that I could barely look away from the screen. Even with the scenes outside of the courtroom where the story slowed down, it never lost any of the power that it built up.

What makes this story so amazing is the characters, of which there are a lot. We have the 8 defendants, Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch),  Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins), John Froines (Daniel Flaherty) and Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Then we also have the defence lawyers William Kunstler (Mark Rylance) and Leonard Weinglass (Ben Shankman), and the prosecution Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Tom Foran (J.C. MacKenzie), plus Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella). Then there's also Fred Hampton (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Ramsey Clark (Michael Keaton).

The cast is so amazing that it makes it really hard to single people out. However, for me, the standout performances were from Sacha Baron Cohen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eddie Redmayne and Mark Rylance. But Jeremy Strong, Alex Sharp and John Carroll Lynch were also incredible. 

These are all such amazing characters who are equally important to the conclusion of the movie. They're all 3-dimensional, fleshed-out, and powerful in their own right, but putting them together completely elevated every part of the film.

The relationships between these characters, particularly those of the 7 main defendants, are almost as important and profound as the trial itself.  

The film moves so quickly, and is so fast-paced, that you hardly feel the 2 hr 10 minute run-time. Frankly, this film could have been 3 hours and I still would have been just as riveted and captivated.

It's the first film I've seen since March that has really made me miss the cinema. While I love the cinema, I was completely fine to avoid it for a while and watch films at home without a problem. But as I watched this, I couldn't help but wonder how much more the film would have affected me if I had seen it in the cinema. And if it goes back to cinemas when they re-open, I'll definitely go and see it.  

Overall, this is an incredible film, so much so that the word 'incredible' doesn't feel good enough. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. I loved it so much more than I thought I would, and I can't wait to watch it again.

9/10

Lou