The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

The Trial of the Chicago 7 turns a piece of history into a propulsive, fiercely entertaining courtroom drama, the kind where ideas clash like fists and every line seems sharpened to a point. Aaron Sorkin’s direction and crackling dialogue give the film a restless momentum, while an ensemble of actors—especially Sacha Baron Cohen’s electric, disarmingly human Abbie Hoffman and Mark Rylance’s quietly formidable defense attorney—keeps it grounded in character rather than civics homework. The tone is urgent and often darkly funny, cutting between the theater of the courtroom and the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a country arguing with itself, and it lands with an unsettling sense of modern relevance. It’s not for everyone if you dislike talky, argument-driven dramas or can’t stomach the anger and injustice baked into the proceedings, but if you want a smart, gripping film that makes history feel immediate, this one earns your time.

Aaron Sorkin is clearly aiming for a punchy, crowd-pleasing civics lesson: a courtroom thriller that turns a messy piece of history into a clean, rousing narrative about power and protest. The upside is the cast is excellent and the dialogue snaps along, especially when it leans into the personalities and the absurdity of the proceedings. The downside is it can feel more like a well-oiled re-enactment than a lived-in historical deep dive, with simplified context and timeline tweaks that may grate if you care about accuracy or prefer subtle storytelling. If you want a nuanced, patient exploration of the era, this might frustrate you; if you’re happy with a brisk, actor-driven drama that prioritizes momentum over precision, it’ll do the job.