REVIEW: THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

 

4/5

The Chicago Way. 

130 Mins. Starring: Yahya Abdul-Matten II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eddie Redmayne, John Carroll Lynch, Michael Keaton, Mark Rylance & Frank Langella. Director: Aaron Sorkin. 

Chicagoland. The war in Viet...f######...nam era. 'The Trial Of The Chicago 7' passes the bar from the studio that was assigned to the case of Ava DuVernay's masterpiece of a miniseries, critical to this time in 'When The See Us', concerning the trial of the wrongfully imprisoned, innocent, Central Park 5. This Netflix flick takes to task the case against the Chicago countercultural protestors at the 1968 Democratic Convention charged with conspiracy but met with violence that beat them guilty before proven innocent senseless. All with the same aesthetic as Kathryn Bigelow's definitive 'Detroit', currently streaming on said service too depending on your region. Right now like new music, Netflix owns Friday's like multiplexes kind of used to before COVID-19's lockdown in 2020. Untouchable like Capone. 'The Irishman' with Scorsese's, De Niro, Pacino and Pesci reunion. Scarlett Johansson's 'Marriage Story' with Adam Driver and some dry wall. And those Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce 'Two Popes' that Rickey Gervais loved making jokes about-amongst others-at the Golden Globes. The streaming service that is chilling on everyone's 'Continue Watching' laptops and phones quicksand buried in popcorn from sleeping hands right now have even muscled their way to the Oscars...and finally come away with the Academy like 'Roma'. And how about this year with cinemas closed 'Wonder Woman' pushed back to 1984, 'Black Widow's' to maybe a 'Mulan' Disney + and James Bond to...well when there's 'No Time To Die'? The only big blockbuster that hit cinemas this year was Christopher Nolan's tentative 'Tenet'...and they were all wearing masks. So with the cinema in need of some capes to save the day again in this coronavirus Endgame, Netflix gave us some more down to earth, "human" heroes in Charlize Theron's 'Old Guard' and the 'Project Power' popping of Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (more on and from him this month in a minute). A new franchise for Mark Wahlberg in 'Spenser Confidential'. And arguably one of the best and most underrated movies of the year (ahem...Academy) in the terrific 'Tigertail'. Chris Hemsworth's action 'Extraction'. Will Ferrell's 'Eurovision Song Contest' with Rachel McAdams 'Story Of Fire Saga'. Spider-Man Tom Holland's 'The Devil All The Time' with Dark Knight preacher Robert Pattinson. 'Stranger Things' star Millie Bobby Brown taking it all the way to Eleven with Sherlock for 'Enola Holmes'. Whatever the hell, 'I'm Thinking Of Ending Things Was'. Spike Lee's latest, greatest 'Da 5 Bloods' with a heartbreakingly poignant moment with the Lords light shining on the late, great Chadwick Boseman (the man who revitalised the historical courtroom drama like this 'Trial' with his 'Marshall'). What will be the dearly departed actors last film (how heartbreaking is it in the trailer to hear him emotionally say, "my time is coming?") for 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' with Viola Davis. And now this seventh seal from the city of wind. 

Books are merely titles until you take them off the shelf. Just wait until you dust them off and open them up. Like scrolling through the endless selections of films and original content from Netflix (let alone everything else they have on offer) like this was Tinder in this social media age spoilt for choice confliction and conviction. Netflix has libraries of these...and we're actually talking about their own original content. Outstanding ones some ignore like the Academy did Idris Elba's 'Beasts Of No Nation'. But how about you get Deep South, down and dirty with the muck of Dee Rees' 'Mudbound' ensemble? Or the 80's hair metal pay 'Dirt'. Underrated gems like 'Uncut Gems', part of that 'Hubie Halloween' Adam Sandler deal. Will Smith's 'Bright' spot. Or Boyd Holbrook's 'In The Shadow Of The Moon', or 'The Red Sea Diving Resort' real life rescue starring Captain America himself, Chris Evans and Michael K. Williams. Affleck 'Triple Frontier' crews. 'Point Blank' Civil War reenactments and that's just 'The Half Of It'. Crazy, Rich Asian rom-com revolutions in 'Always Be My Maybe' with that Keanu cameo and Jared Leto Osaka 'Outsider's' that are anything but cultural appropriation. So many great (not you '6 Underground') movies. And then the ones we know like Sandra Bullock's 'Bird Box' that no one was blindfolded for and the 'Annihilation' of Natalie Portman. And we haven't even got to the series yet like 'Stranger Things' and 'The Umbrella Academy' for you to binge. But chill. You want to talk about big names? I said, YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT BIG NAMES. How about their latest ensemble. How about the 'Chicago 7'? How magnificent a cast. Showing that Netflix has more checks going out than the treasury with this testimony. Yahya Abdul-Matten II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eddie Redmayne, Michael Keaton, Mark Rylance & Frank Langella. All rise! 

Sorkin sorts through all these screenplay big names in the same week he reunites the cast of 'The West Wing' and Sterling K. Brown for a beautifully poignant, theatre table read play of the classic 'Hartfield Landing' to raise ballot box awareness for First Lady Michelle Obama's 'When We All Vote' campaign. What a critical time to be alive this week and next month. Aaron's amazing signature screenplay dialogue dynamics have given way to a dynamite new way of direction after replacing Spielberg here, which has such a way with words it helps all the A-listers swot this one without any in this engrossing ensemble needing to do much of the heavy lifting. But oh how they bicep curl. Like an inspired Idris Elba's epic opening and closing statements in the case of the people versus Jessica Chastain's 'Molly's Game' for all the chips and Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut. Hitting it out the park like how he turned this generations game changer Michael Lewis' words into action that popped off the bat for Brad Pitt's 'Moneyball' strike. How about 'Candyman' Yahya Abdul-Matten II as original Black Panther Bobby Seale raising a fist like truth to power on a podium like the leather glove Olympics in 2020. All until he has his day in court. Expect Oscars to go with Emmy's and horror game changers like Jordan Peele for this new king of the 'US' . He went from Manta 'Aquaman' villains to being the most important character and catalyst to DC's 'Watchmen' series on HBO we still won't spoil, but has so much to say. Showing his life like the life of his people matters. Represented on screen and off on the streets of America to a country that still hasn't paid real reperations to those it put in chains when it didn't even have a right...or a warrant. We can't remain silent. And the most critical actor of our time doesn't and won't ever. With the integrity over the lack of that and of humanity as they try to take his maintained dignity as bad as that shown in photographic evidence picture of a cop smiling as he wheels Fred Hampton's dead body out his raided apartment. Yahya enters 'The Matrix' next. To be fair, we'd all want to pop that pill right now. But how about the network of the rest of the co-stars? Ali G himself and Netflix's 'Spy' Sacha Baron Cohen gives one of his best yet with returning Sorkin collaborator and fellow acting chameleon Jeremy Strong by his charismatic, chemistry set side. There's also a sense of urgency to 'The Theory Of Everything' and 'The Danish Girl' Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne's trailer call to arms press conference announcement to all those microphones that although they're protesting peacefully the Chicago P.D. can do what they want, but they're "coming anyway" until the streets run red. Welcome back to this fantastic beast of a thespian. American accented in Chi-town is where you can find him. Then ladies and gentlemen of the jury there's 'Looper' and 'Inception' actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt's legal offence. Stealing the show again like he did as Robin in 'The Dark Knight Rises' (its almost been a decade we can spoil that Don Jon one). After an extended hiatus, holding court in a big-three comeback with this, '7500' miles on high as a pilot and his Netflix 'Project Power'. Indeed. All the legacy makers extending there's. Yet make way for the legends. Like character acting one of 'Shutter Island', 'The Handmaids Tale' and everything in between, John Carroll Lynch. Or the return of 'The Founder' Michael Keaton on 'Spotlight' legal duty like the avian Vulture 'Birdman' superhero and Oscar winner meta returning as the Batman in a 'Flashpoint'. Oscar winning 'Bridge Of Spies' and 'Dunkirk' great Mark Rylance quietly having a giant year like the BFG with this and the underrated 'Waiting For The Barbarians' brutally relegated to home cinemas with Johnny Depp and new Batman, Robert Pattinson showing his skill set before the utility belt yet again like 'Tenet' or 'The Devil' of a good time. And of course undeniable acting great Frank Langella as the judge of this jury and third act executioner. He thinks he'll have the final word like a hammer of the gavel. Court dismissed, no recess. But all these characters have their day in, like Sorkin firmly in the directors chair for the most pivotal week of his career and America's consciousness as this legal counsel consoles you. Leading the charge of this powerful protest and the cracked mirror reflecting the bared teeth dog vicious, Billy Club police violence in response that couldn't be more timely this terrible year. In an America that is still the beautiful amongst all this brutality when it comes to the humanity of those preaching peace. But also how we shall overcome until a change gon' come. This film and historical document is critical viewing. The whole world is watching. This is the Chicago fire. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Further Filming: 'When They See Us', 'Detroit', 'The Spy'.