The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Written by r96sk on March 13, 2021

Very well made, up until that ending anyway.

It's not a bad conclusion, but man is it cringe-inducing. It seems they were going for an end to match 'A Few Good Men', which was also written by Aaron Sorkin of course. From the overly uplifting score, to the slow clap, to the freeze-frame. Per Esquire, the scene is not even how it went down IRL either. I'm all for 'Hollywood endings', just less of the cheese please.

The rest of 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' is, though, very good. Sacha Baron Cohen (Abbie) is the greatest performer, the role is mostly comedic - which he nails - but even in the more serious moments he is terrific. Jeremy Strong (Jerry) is notable alongside him, also. Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Frank Langella, Mark Rylance and Joseph Gordon-Levitt merit props, too.

I did enjoy how it portrays the (true) story, one that is very interesting no doubt. Overall, I had a pleasant time watching this - though I'd rate it a tad higher if not for that (not negative, just a bit lame) ending.