Hot on the heels of my review of Molly’s Game, we decided to check out Aaron Sorkin’s second venture in the director’s chair with his Netflix film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, which tells the true story of seven people on trial for conspiracy to incite a riot whilst protesting the Vietnam War.

The 1960’s were a time of great turmoil, unrest and revolution for America. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy have both been assassinated and the more militant Black Panthers are now the face of the Civil Rights movement. The Vietnam War is becoming increasingly unpopular as more and more men are drafted and not enough of them are coming home, the names of the deceased read out on the news each day.

This melting pot of unrest led to a number of different protest groups descending on the 1968 Democratic Party Convention in Chicago, but the would-be peaceful protests spiral into a violent and bloody clash with Chicago law enforcement. In the aftermath of the chaos, seven men from different groups are arrested and charged.

Surprisingly, the riots only serve as a a backdrop for the main crux of the story which is the trial itself. It quickly becomes clear that corruption, bias and pride are the real powers behind the curtain, the letter of the law is merely an afterthought and the sheer ineptitude of the judge raises genuine questions of mental incompetence. And the most incredible thing is that, even though some artistic license has been applied, the events depicted within The Trial of the Chicago 7 actually happened!

As lead prosecutor Richard Schultz, Joseph Gordon-Levitt didn’t really have much to do in a trial as one-sided as this one but it was great to see him back on screen after what feels like forever. In his role as Tom Hayden, leader of the Students for a Democratic Society, Eddie Redmayne doesn’t have a huge amount of dialogue but he has a presence that still manages to draw your eye whenever he is on screen.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II continues to make his mark on Hollywood as Bobby Seale, a man whose only real crime seemed to be the fact that he was the leader of the Black Panthers. Despite the ineptitude of the judge throughout, it was the treatment and blatant disregard of Seale’s constitutional rights that offered some of the biggest “WTF?” moments of the film.

Mark Rylance, Jeremy Strong, John Carrell Lynch and Michael Keaton all deliver strong performances with varying levels of impact but it is Sacha Baron Cohen, as Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman, and Frank Langella, as Judge Juliaus Hoffman (no relation), that really steal the show.

Initially, Frank Langella’s physical presence on screen garners a sense of respect befitting a Judge but it takes no time at all to see the true nature of the man underneath and by the time you get to the end of the film, there is no doubt in your mind as to what an intensely dislikable, blindingly stubborn and morally corrupt person Judge Hoffman really is.

And when I think of Sasha Baron Cohen I typically revert to his over-the-top comedic characters such as Borat and Ali G so it was refreshing to see him in a more serious role and, I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised or disappointed if he received an Oscar nod for his turn as the surprisingly complex Abbie Hoffman.

If you are already familiar with some of Sorkin’s other projects (The Social Network, Steve Jobs, Molly’s Game) then you will already know that he has a great knack for whip-smart dialogue and rapid fire delivery and Chicago 7 is no exception. The script is powerful, impactful and surprisingly witty in places but it is the phenomenal performances of an incredible cast that make this film special and a must watch.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 is now available to stream on Netflix.