The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Nominated for 6 Oscars
- 58 wins & 192 nominations total

Trivia
Sacha Baron Cohen admitted he was "terrified" of having to do an American accent for the film. He had used a few different variations of the accent before for comedic reasons, but never for a dramatic role. He knew the real Abbie Hoffman had a unique voice, having a Massachusetts accent but also having gone to school in California, and was worried he would "sound wrong". Aaron Sorkin had to reassure him that the role was "not an impersonation, but an interpretation", which Baron Cohen claimed did not help much.

Goofs
At the start of the trial, Bobby Seale claims that the eight defendants are called the "Chicago Seven". In reality, they were originally called the "Chicago Eight". The defendants became known as the Chicago Seven after Seale was severed from the case.

Quotes
Judge Julius Hoffman: And the record should reflect, that defendant Hoffman and I are not related.
Abbie Hoffman: [sarcastic] Father, no!
Judge Julius Hoffman: [bangs his gavel] Mr. Hoffman, are you familiar with contempt of court?
Abbie Hoffman: It's practically a religion for me, sir.

Connections
Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Eddie Redmayne/Guy Raz/Lele Pons/Guaynaa (2020)

Soundtracks
Truly, Truly, True
Written by Wayne Carson Thompson (as Wayne Thompson)
Performed by Jon & Robin
Courtesy of Sundazed Music

Well made, interesting and relevant to the current climate, but feels very Hollywood

Dramatised account of the trial of protesters arrested during the time of the 1968 democratic convention in Chicago.

This is a thrilling and intriguing historical drama with moments of anger and humour in the right places. The plot unfolds in a highly compelling way and the cinematography, editing and pacing all support the storytelling well.

It contains some excellent performances from a great cast, all of whom play clearly defined characters and have excellent screen chemistry. 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.

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.

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. This one contains scenes created for dramatic licence which for me can diminish the credibility of something implied as non-fiction.

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. Also, the ending feels like it's laced with typical Hollywood dramatics designed to get emotion out of the audience.

This is a very relevant movie in the current political climate. 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.