Performance match between Cohen and Keaton

The Seven Chicago Trial ... a lesson from history in perfect timing

picture

The Trial Of The Chicago 7 movie is a Netflix original production based on events in 1968 and 1969.

The film's director and writer, Aaron Sorkin, began working on the script in 2007, the year he wrote his film "Charlie Wilson's War."

There are no symbols in the film, and it is a straightforward, chronological account of the bloody events accompanying the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968. Anti-Vietnam War riots in Lincoln Park, in which unarmed protesters confronted police armed with batons and tear gas grenades.

At the beginning of 1969, John Mitchell - who is the attorney general in the administration of late President Richard Nixon - decided to go after eight "gang leaders" and make the prosecution of them an example of the state's determination to curb opposition.

Given America's divisions today, it is as if history teaches it a lesson.

The charges are conspiracy and rioting, and the film covers the highlights of the trial that lasted five months, with scenes of real demonstrations being entered in black and white, before and after they became violent.

Cosmic language

The main story in the film is the trial and its proceedings.

In the trial, we see eight defendants of varying degrees of bad reputation.

Note that the title of the film is the name of the trial in the media.

There is the brilliant leader Abby Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), who never stops insulting the court.

Hoffman of Yippie, a radical anti-state group founded in the United States in 1967.

Join Hoffman, a young man from the same radical movement Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), and the smartest of them is Tom Hayden (Eddie Redman).

Then Renee Davis (Alex Sharp), the pacifist David Dillinger (John Carroll Lynch), and Black Panther founder Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Matin II), who was dragged into court despite not being involved in the riots.

There are two unknown people: Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins) and John Frewins (Danny Flaherty), who do not know why they are at the trial.

All defendants except Seale, are represented by senior attorney William Konstler (Mark Rylance).

The prosecutor is Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and was personally selected by the Attorney General.

Schultz is so sincere and well-intentioned that Hoffman called him a good man.

The judge is Julius Hoffmann (Frank Langella), who is an old fanatic, with all the illnesses of mental old age.

Judge Hoffman is not interested in the trial as much as he is interested in proving to everyone that the accused Hoffman is not related to him, and that they are similar in the last name by chance.

It is a point that Hoffman, the accused, uses to joke and humiliate the judge, Hoffman.

Through the text, Sorkin focuses on parts that reflect a universal language that talks about the corruption of power and the desire to silence the voices of dissent, which is happening today in the East and West of the Earth, and even in the United States itself.

Retrospective scenes

Sorkin relies on montage that puts retrospective scenes in balanced positions, to ensure the continuation of the momentum of the story, while at the same time the retrospective scenes serve the story by building the context of the events in the background.

Technically, there is nothing special about the style that has been tried so many times in this type of story.

What happens is that director Sorkin supports the writer, by helping the great, beautiful and distinguished cast of actors.

There is no bad performance in the movie, but there are two more prominent actors than the rest due to the strength of their performances.

This isn't the first time that Sacha Baron Cohen has played a serious role, who is known for his slapstick roles in the 2000s through the character Porat.

His portrayal of Abby Hoffman in this film is very accurate.

Equally important is Michael Keaton's captivating performance in the personality of former Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who, although he appeared in only two scenes, caught the spotlight, and completely dominated his scenes with the wondrous energy that he broadcasts in the shot and the strength of his character, and the selection of Cohen and Keaton does not mean reducing the roles Others.

Court drama

In the courts and Sorkin dramas, a person might link this movie to the 1992 movie A Few Good Men. The two films differ greatly in intention, and if we look at this film, it is generally a drama, while the other contains police elements.

The text is generally closer to "Charlie Wilson's War" directed by Mike Nichols, and closer to "Molly’s Game" in terms of method, and the latter was Sorkin's first directing experience.

Although this movie contains a serious message, it also contains dark comedy moments.

The tone is not joking at all, but there are elements that give rise to ridicule;

Such as Judge Hoffman's assertions that he has nothing to do with the accused, who shares his last name.

This is like all of Sorkin's films, that is, it is full of dialogues from the first scene to the last minute, and does not attract attention all the time, as there are moments when the focus of the viewer may tire, especially the meditator who is looking for artistic shots to savor.

Sorkin does not give a break, and the longest scene without dialogue may not exceed 20 seconds.

But if we compare the "Chicago Seven Trial" with the "Molly Game," the first is much better than the second in terms of story, message, performance, and cast.

"Molly Game" was absolutely gossip, and its heroine, Jessica Chastain, explains everything that needs no explanation, and leaves no opportunity for the viewer to understand what she says, as she either narrates or talks with the characters.

This is a style that great directors such as Martin Scorsese have mastered.

To view this topic in full, please click on this link.

Sorkin ... a distinguished writer

Sorkin is a distinguished writer for cinema and television. He has written works that have won admiration and awards. For television, he wrote the popular series "The West Wing", some of whose seasons won Emmy Awards for best drama at the beginning of the new millennium, and wrote the newsroom series.

And for cinema, he wrote “The Social Network” 2010, and Steve Jobs 2015, and this movie .. which is his most important films in the last decade.

There are moments when focusing the viewer can get tired ... especially the meditator who looks for artistic shots to savor.

Michael Keaton appeared in only two scenes .. However, he kidnapped the spotlight and completely dominated his family's energy.

Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news