classicsoncall Review of The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

"I've never been on trial for my thoughts before." - Abbie Hoffman

[8/10 · 5 January 2021]

I can't say this wasn't a fascinating movie depicting the trial of the Chicago 7, but I also can't say whether everything you see on screen is one hundred percent accurate representing the facts of the case and the personalities and attitudes of the defendants. Of course you never get a completely well rounded view of events as they occur either, and virtually anything that anybody remembers about the rioting at the Democratic National Convention of 1968 is blurred in the flailing batons and teargas of the police battling hundreds of protestors. The passage of time, say half a century, would have the media characterize them as peaceful demonstrators and you would probably see very little of it on your national news. I thought the casting for the film was brilliant, particularly with Eddie Redmayne in the role of Tom Hayden, Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, and Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin. What comes through in the film that wasn't very evident back in the day, was how different both ideologically and attitudinally the defendants were from each other, with Tom Hayden seeming the voice of reason among the Seven, while Hoffman and Rubin carried off their belligerent streak throughout the trial, along with the often repeated outbursts of Black Panther leader Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), included in the trial for a time until his presence was ordered a mistrial by Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella), at the recommendation of prosecuting attorney Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). As over the top and seemingly reckless and domineering as the judge was, the one thing you never get to see in the film is the jury actually delivering the verdict. It's made to seem like Judge Hoffman personally made good on a vendetta against the defendants when they were found guilty of incitement to riot. The idea that this was a political trial is brought up any number of times in the story, and it's probably a safe bet to accept the fact that it was, with your memories of those tumultuous days back in '68 flooding back if you were around when it all went went down.