Trial Run

You could easily argue that Aaron Sorkin has been doing the same "trick" for his whole career. But it's been a hell of a long career, and that "trick" works for me almost every time. His latest iteration is the movie The Trial of the Chicago 7. Based on real events with which I feel I really should have been more familiar, the movie chronicles the politically motivated prosecution of a group of protestors arrested in riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

This movie is, quite frankly, utterly formulaic. It's not that it strays very far away from actual events, it's just that actual events have been carefully curated to maximize drama. And on the off chance that you didn't detect the authorial hand, Aaron Sorkin infuses the script with his trademark patter. You get exactly what you expect when you sit down to watch this movie.

But the formula is done exceptionally well. The Trial of the Chicago 7 gives you all the moments of righteous indignation and inspirational opposition to authority that you could ever hope for. And the movie itself arrives at just the right moment, confirming that all the injustices that many are now only perceiving for the first time has been around for quite a while. (Longer by far than the events of this movie, to be sure.)

To the extent that the movie may feel manipulative in moments, that's arguably a good thing. Watching it left me with a powerful desire to do some internet research, to learn more about the actual events and see what went down like it does in the movie and what didn't. And if that motivation was instilled in me by way of snappy Sorkin zingers? Well, I wasn't going to watch an Aaron Sorkin movie if I didn't like his dialogue.

The movie has an exceptional cast, giving a number of great performances. The one being talked about as an award contender is Sacha Baron Cohen, but I think the actor most giving the movie exactly what it needs is Frank Langella as Judge Julius Hoffman. I can't remember the last legal drama I watched with such a perfectly loathsome villain. And if neither of those performances grabs you? Well, maybe you'll enjoy the work from Eddie Redmayne, John Carroll Lynch, Mark Rylance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, or Michael Keaton -- to name only the more recognizable people in the cast. (Good roles for women, though? That's rare in Aaron Sorkin's work, and this movie is not one of the exceptions.)

I give The Trial of the Chicago 7 a B+. At a time where I'm still working to fill out my Top 10 List of 2020 movies, it earns at least a temporary spot.