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The Trial of the Chicago 7

Drama The film is based on the infamous 1969 trial of seven defendants charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more, arising from the countercultural protests in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The trial transfixed the nation and sparked a conversation about mayhem intended to undermine the U.S. government.
Author Review
United StatesUnited States
Variety
Variety
"[It] is the rare drama about the 1960s that’s powerful and authentic and moving enough to feel as if it were taking place today"  POS
United StatesUnited States
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
"A movie that's as dense with witty dialogue, significant characters, factoids, time shifts and multiperspectivity as anything Sorkin has written. But it avoids the qualities often perceived as flaws by his critics"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
"An instant classic (...) A hot-tempered judge, an outspoken Panther and a couple of quippy yippies captivate in one of the year’s best films (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"  POS
United StatesUnited States
The New York Times
The New York Times
"I don’t think, on balance, that this is a very good movie. It’s talky and clumsy, alternating between self-importance and clowning. But it’s also not a movie that can be easily shaken off"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
"It’s a juicy courtroom drama, a sweeping ’60s panorama, an epic of liberal hand wringing and an all-you-can-eat actors’ buffet rolled into one"  POS
United StatesUnited States
USA Today
USA Today
"Sorkin’s second outing as director is a more confident and well-executed affair than his first (...) An entertaining, immersive and ultimately optimistic spectacle (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"  POS
United StatesUnited States
ABC News
ABC News
"Sorkin gives the film a hurtling momentum that powers his script's stirring indictment of the American judicial system as both a circus and a chamber of horrors."  POS
United StatesUnited States
rogerebert.com
rogerebert.com
"There are such wonderful individual moments and beats in 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' that just watching it as an acting exercise makes it worthwhile. (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"  POS
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The Guardian
The Guardian
"Again and again, scenes and lines land with a solemn clunk (...) And when something really important and dramatic happens (...) the padding of all this courtroom waffle and progressive concern muffles the shock (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"  NEG
United StatesUnited States
Time
Time
"Sorkin takes a rather dense, complicated court case (...) and keeps it aloft every minute (...) Every character is rendered with jewelers-loupe clarity"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
"A remarkably relevant story, smartly told, but with certain blind spots and pitfalls: broad strokes, rhetorical grandstanding, the tendency to overstuff an already load-bearing tale."  NEU
United StatesUnited States
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
"It works (...) The actors win on appeal. And it’s always worth revisiting this particular chapter of Chicago unrest and injustice (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"  POS
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
BBC
BBC
"There's an ease, a naturalism to [Redmayne's and Cohen's] performances (...) They are very good. As is the film, by and large (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"  POS
United StatesUnited States
The Playlist
The Playlist
"[It] often feels manufactured (...) How much viewers engage with the 'Trial of the Chicago 7' will have more to do with its naturally captivating story, and the comedic dialogue, than anything Sorkin as a director provides"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
IndieWire
IndieWire
"A solid tribute to a few men who realized they could [change the world], even when the system they fought for came up short."  POS
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Screendaily
Screendaily
"A fine cast (...) sell the commentary at this still-relevant story’s centre (...) 'Chicago 7' captures enough of the urgency and anger of its era to be consistently compelling"  POS
United StatesUnited States
AV Club
AV Club
"At least the performances are top notch, expertly handling Sorkin’s trademark quip and sanctimony (...) Sorkin lacks the master’s skill (...) at enlivening gabby civics lessons"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
Decider
Decider
"Sorkin has delivered a courtroom drama in its purest form. And it is an excellent one (...) The stellar cast helps"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Collider
Collider
"For the most part, the courtroom drama is a compelling celebration of protest even if it falls short in capturing the racial and gender dynamics of protest movements."  NEU
United StatesUnited States
SlashFilm
SlashFilm
"[It] is sturdy but not particularly revelatory. But as a delivery system for great performers rattling off great dialogue, it’s almost unbeatable."  POS
United StatesUnited States
New York Post
New York Post
"Aaron Sorkin’s best work in years (...) The cast list really is a staggering, uniformly excellent ensemble (...) The cinematography and editing are a huge step up (...) The director now has a confident command of viewers’ emotions (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"  POS
IrelandIreland
entertainment.ie
entertainment.ie
"Sorkin just knows how to make courtroom drama entertaining. He's perfected it to a true artform (...) What's frustrating is that the movie never really seems to land on any one point too long"  NEU
IrelandIreland
Irish Independent
Irish Independent
"Sorkin and his talented cast orchestrate this daft and histrionic trial beautifully (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"  POS
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