The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

Director:

Aaron Sorkin

Writer:

Aaron Sorkin (screenplay)

Stars:

Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Sacha Baron Cohen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Redmayne	...	Tom Hayden
Alex Sharp	...	Rennie Davis
Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Abbie Hoffman
Jeremy Strong	...	Jerry Rubin
John Carroll Lynch	...	David Dellinger
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II	...	Bobby Seale
Mark Rylance	...	William Kunstler
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Richard Schultz
Ben Shenkman	...	Leonard Weinglass
J.C. MacKenzie	...	Thomas Foran
Frank Langella	...	Judge Julius Hoffman
Danny Flaherty	...	John Froines
Noah Robbins	...	Lee Weiner
John Doman	...	John Mitchell
Michael Keaton	...	Ramsey Clark

Storyline

In Chicago 1968, the Democratic Party Convention was met with protests from activists like the moderate Students for a Democratic Society led by Tom Hayden and the militant Yippies led by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, which led to violent confrontations with the local authorities. As a result, seven of the accused ringleaders are arraigned on charges like Conspiracy by the hostile Nixon administration, including Bobby Seale of the Black Panthers who was not involved in the incident. What follows is an unfair trial presided by the belligerent Judge Hoffman (No relation) and prosecuted by a reluctant but duty-bound Richard Schultz. As their pro bono lawyers face such odds, Hayden and his fellows are frustrated by the Yippies' outrageous antics undermining their defense in defiance of the system even while Seale is denied a chance to defend himself his way. Along the way, the Chicago 7 clash in their political philosophies even as they learn they need each other in this fight.

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Plot Keywords:

1960s | black panther party | chicago illinois | chicago 7 | activism | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, some violence, bloody images and drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cast features two Academy Award winners: Eddie Redmayne and Mark Rylance; as well as three Academy Award nominees: Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Keaton, and Frank Langella. Redmayne and Keaton competed against each other in 2015 for their respective films The Theory of Everything (2014) and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014). Writer/director Aaron Sorkin is also an Academy Award winner.

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Goofs

Beginning at 5:35: Jerry Rubin's demonstration on how to make a Molotov cocktail is absurd. A Molotov Cocktail is made with a flammable liquid in a bottle using a piece of cloth soaked in a flammable liquid such as alcohol or kerosene as a fuse. It is not made with a cherry bomb held in place with chewing gum as a fuse.

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Quotes

Tom Hayden: What is that?
Rennie Davis: I've been keeping a list every day. Americans who've been killed since the day we were arrested.
Tom Hayden: Why?
Rennie Davis: With the trial starting, it might get easy to forget who this is about.

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Connections

Referenced in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Streaming in October 2020 (2020)

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Soundtracks

Joy To The World
Written by Isaac Watts
Arranged by Daniel Pemberton

User Reviews

The whole world should be watching!

Entertaining, albeit in the typical relentlessly quippy Aron Sorkin fashion, the occasional light touches doesn't hinder from the movie delivering on the stakes and importance of the subject matter.

Sacha Baron Cohen's accent can be jarring at first, but it takes a minute to get used to. The rest of the cast do an admirable job with Yahya Abdul Mateen being the standout (even in a somewhat limited role by design). The strong cameo performance near the tail end also boosts the performance pedigree.

While surely the parallels and the timing of the release of this movie is not coincidental, it is a piece of art that does what good art often do, and that is to remind us of truths. In this case, the truth is, those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK India

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Filming Locations:

Patterson, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$104,048

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, Amblin Partners, CAA Media Finance

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1