![]() ![]() ![]() "To read dispassionately the hundreds of statements describing at firsthand the events of Sunday and Monday nights is to become convinced of the presence of what can only be called a police riot." "Individual policemen, and lots of them, committed violent acts far in excess of the requisite force for crowd dispersal or arrest," it surmised. The Walker Report, the official enquiry into the riots, was based on 20,000 pages of testimony from more than 3,000 witnesses, and was unequivocal in its conclusion: If Sorkin's film presents the police as malevolent and violent, it's not far from the truth. In Chicago, the very recent death of Dean Johnson, a young man shot by police after he pulled a gun on them, was another factor in the febrile atmosphere at the protests. The summer of 1968 had been the bloodiest yet in Vietnam more than 1,000 American soldiers were dying each month. ![]() The riots themselves started on 28 August 1968, when several thousand protestors tried to march to the International Amphitheatre, where the Democratic National Congress was being held. Niko Tavernise/NETFLIX © 2020 It all starts with the riots Of course, it's nearly impossible to know what the defendants might have said to each other or fought about outside the courtroom, but hey, that's historical dramas, buddy. More happened during the riots and ensuing court case than could be crammed into a trilogy of films, so it's more a case of outlining the extra madness which didn't make the final script. So, is The Trial of the Chicago 7 a true story?Īs a rule with dramas based on real events, it's a case of working out where the historical record ends and artistic license takes over, but that's not quite the problem here. Although we're sorry to tell you that no, Rubin didn't catch a flung egg on his way in. In fact, what Sorkin left out might make for an even better film than what he included. With scenes such as the one showing Bobby Seale bound and gagged in a US courtroom it should prompt plenty of discussion points, especially being released so close to an election.This article contains spoilers for The Trial of the Chicago 7īetween Sacha Baron Cohen and Jeremy Strong arriving in court dressed as judges, and the snappy walk-and-talk crosscutting, Aaron Sorkin's new Netflix thriller, The Trial of the Chicago 7, is about as straightforwardly Hollywood as a courtroom drama gets.īut really, the true story of the riots and the trial is even more strange and vivid than the one you see play out on screen. This is a very relevant movie in the current political climate. Also, the ending feels like it's laced with typical Hollywood dramatics designed to get emotion out of the audience. Aaron Sorkin's script is as sharp and witty as ever, but at times it makes me feel like I am watching actors in a play reciting Sorkin-style dialogue rather than something that actually happened. This one contains scenes created for dramatic licence which for me can diminish the credibility of something implied as non-fiction. Unfortunately, the other side of the coin it's that many people do not take the time to do the above and take what they see in a movie as the gospel truth. One of the positives about a historical drama is that it (hopefully) should prompt people to research more about the subject matter and hopefully this movie has piqued an interest in many people unaware of the events to look back into history and find out more. Frank Langella and Mark Rylance for me give superb performances as I felt they did exceptionally well to stand out in a film with so many stars. It contains some excellent performances from a great cast, all of whom play clearly defined characters and have excellent screen chemistry. The plot unfolds in a highly compelling way and the cinematography, editing and pacing all support the storytelling well. This is a thrilling and intriguing historical drama with moments of anger and humour in the right places. Dramatised account of the trial of protesters arrested during the time of the 1968 democratic convention in Chicago.
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