"I have never been on trial for my thoughts before."
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Where Available: Netflix
Rating:
Review:
The whole world is watching.
The timing of this movie's release is impeccable. With the recent laws against protesting and one of the most important elections in American history just beyond the horizon, everyone is a little scared about what the future may hold, no matter what side of the argument you are on. Aaron Sorkin means to show how far we have come since the 1968 trial of men causing riots in the streets of Chicago. This fantastic ensemble piece changed the facts of the history I thought I knew. I am a big fan of historical dramas because they make what I read in history books at school come to life. It was honestly all a little too real. I kept thinking to myself how unbelievable it all was, but then I realized that history is practically repeating itself. I didn't want to believe what was happening on screen because I was so uncomfortable with the fact that I had seen it in the news so much just a few months ago. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is one of those movies that everyone in America needs to see, whether you lived through the time of the trial or not.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 follows the trial of the seven defendants that were charged by the federal government for conspiracy to incite crimes across state lines at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Here is a little bit of background to the case:
Initially, there were eight defendants brought before Judge Julius Hoffman: Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie David, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and Bobby Seale. Bobby Seal of the Black Panthers demanded a separate trial, as his lawyer was unavailable because of hospitalization and was denied self-representation. He repeatedly interrupted the proceedings, and on October 29th, 1969 he was bound and gagged in an American courtroom. In the separate trial, Hoffman sentenced him to 48 months in prison.
At the height of the civil rights and anti-war movements, these men were organizing protests at the Democratic National Convention. During the event, full-scale rioting broke out between protestors and police, full of tear gas and police beatings. These seven men were charged for violating the Rap Brown Law, which made it illegal to cross state lines in order to riot. The attorney general at the time, Ramsey Clark, refused to prosecute the case.
I will leave the rest of the history lesson for you to find out while watching the movie, because facts from the internet really don't do it justice.
I smell the Oscars. This cast is STACKED. We are thrown into the world of the characters right away as they plan their trip to Chicago. Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), Attorney General John Mitchell (John Doman), Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Ramsey Clark (Michael Keaton), William Kunstler (Mark Rylance), and Judge Hoffman (Frank Langella). It was honestly hard to believe that Sacha Baron Cohen plays both Abbie Hoffman and Borat, but he was SPECTACULAR. It was also really interesting to see Eddie Redmayne in non-period clothing. Anyways, I see myself watching a lot more movies with these amazing actors in it, and can't wait to see what mind-blowing projects Sorkin brings them onto next!
Amidst all the predicted Oscar-nominated movies being pushed back to next year, who knows what the Oscars are going to look like next year. (If you have the time, you can check out my Letterboxd profile @betzbreakdown to see my list of what I think the biggest winning movies will be!) In any case, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is getting some big time recognition for showing what happens when men hold more power than they can handle. I feel like I keep saying this, but Netflix is stepping up their game!
Quotes:
"If our blood is gonna flow, let it flow all over the city."
"It's a revolution, Tom. We may have to hurt somebody's feelings."
"This is a political trial. This was already decided for us."
"When we walked in this morning, they were chanting that the whole world is watching. If we leave here without saying anything about why we came in the first place, it’ll be heartbreaking."
"I have never been on trial for my thoughts before."
"Martin's dead, Malcom's dead, Medgar's dead, Bobby's dead, Jesus is dead. They tried it peacefully, we gonna try something else."
“We’re not going to jail because of what we did, we’re going to jail because of who we are. Think about the next time you shrug off cultural revolution.”
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