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

Stars:

Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Sacha Baron Cohen

Nominated for 5 Golden Globes. Another 37 wins & 136 nominations.

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

riot | protest march | political protest | protesting vietnam war | 1960s | 

---

Taglines:

In 1968, democracy refused to back down.

---

Genres:

Drama | History | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Four of the actors who play main American characters in this film are actually not American but British (Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp and Mark Rylance).

---

Goofs

One of the characters says the reason that he was not drafted was that he had a high lottery number. That is impossible as the lottery started after the trial began.

Also, the draft lottery which was shown in the picture had nothing to protests in Chicago because the lottery was a year later.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Lyndon B. Johnson: I have today ordered to Vietnam the Airmobile Division, and certain other forces which will raise our fighting strength from seventy-five thousand to one hundred twenty-five thousand men almost immediately. This will make it necessary to increase our active fighting forces by raising the monthly draft call from seventeen thousand to thirty-five thousand.

---

Connections

Referenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Stonks, Sonic and Stephen KNEW?!? (2021)

---

Soundtracks

Just One Look
Written by Doris Troy (as Doris Payne) and Gregory Carroll
Performed by Sam Nelson Harris, Marlee Mendelson, Hana Chew, Ashley Trumbo, Allison Trumbo, Shane Skidmore, Maria Jacobson, Brendan Brown, Dan MacDonald (as Daniel MacDonald) and Jeffrey Yonkus

User Reviews

Kangaroos in Chicago...

... or guilty until proven innocent. Nothing like a good court room caper to ratchet up the blood pressure, especially with Frank Langella presiding as the ever so slightly biased beak, and doing it to absolute perfection. Packed full, just like the court room of top drawer performances, it leaves you aghast that these scenarios could ever exist in the first instance while thankful that three British thespians can fill the voids American actors seem unable to satisfy.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK India

Language:

English Latin French

Release Date:

16 October 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Filming Locations:

Patterson, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, Amblin Partners, Aperture Media Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1