Based on a true story set at the height of the Vietnam war effort, America is in political disarray as Lyndon B Johnson withdraws from presidency re-election due declining health and popularity ratings. The democrats are pushing for Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and intend to make him the electoral candidate at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. However, this did not go down well with those supporting Eugene McCarthy, who aimed to end the Vietnam war. These include the Students of the Democratic party [SDS], the Youth Independent Party [Yippies] and hundreds of anti-war activists. They organise peaceful protests outside the convention, which turn violent after confrontations with the Chicago Police Force, and result in seven representatives (featuring Eddie Redmayne and Sacha Baron Cohen) being put on trial.
Contrary to the title, there were initially 8 people under scrutiny. Bobby Seale, the co-founder of the Black Panther Party with Huey P. Newton, was invited to give speeches during the convention protests but was not a part of the planning committee. Lumped in with the rest of the ‘conspirators’, Bobby is the only one of the eight kept in jail before the trial, his situation worsening as his lawyer undergoes surgery and is unable to represent him. Judge Hoffman denies the trial should be delayed and denies Bobby the ability to represent himself in order to further push him towards the other 7 activists represented by William Kunstler. This is where the true horror and drama takes place, as their attempts to silence Bobby truly encapsulates the oppressed minority in the eyes of the law. It is a powerful performance by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, showing restraint despite constant provocation.
I believe the film does the activists justice, achieving a goal of informing whilst entertaining. The issue with True Story films in general is only a part of it has to be real and the rest chalked up to creative licence. Even the director Aaron Sorkin himself said the following: “Before a film can be anything else—relevant or persuasive or important—it has to be good. It has to tend to the rules of drama and filmmaking, so I’m thinking about the audience experience . . .This isn’t a biopic. You will get the essence of these real-life people and the kernel of who they are as human beings, not the historical facts.” My one criticism is that I felt there were too many cutaways in some parts of the film, not allowing a joke to land or even take off. It was almost reminiscent of a Family Guy episode, but after some research on the Yippies it does suit their style. Without being vague and picking the theme of racial oppression I would incorporate into a film (it’s always an important issue to highlight until things change), if I were able to write someone as evil, cowardly and without morals as Judge Hoffman into my screenplay, I won’t ever have an issue with antagonists again. A star-studded cast working with a solid director exposing the world to real life-changing events, The Trial of Chicago 7 is an important watch.