Review | Sorkin’s latest is a prescient Oscar contender

An all-star cast, solid direction from Aaron Sorkin and a sense of urgency make “The Trial of the Chicago 7” a worthy watch. WikiCommons

Review written by Dimitri Keogh, sophomore screenwriting major

Director and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s latest Oscar contender “The Trial of the Chicago 7” couldn’t have had a timelier release date. Amidst the turmoil of this year – riots, racial injustice and a looming presidential election – Sorkin’s film, which was released in select theaters Sept. 25 and comes out nationwide on Netflix Oct. 16, discusses all three in spades. It chronicles the story of the “Chicago Seven,” a group of protestors who were wrongfully charged with conspiracy to start a riot. 

As I sat down in the theater Oct. 3 for a screening, I wondered how much this year would color my viewing and interpretation of the film. After the Netflix logo bounced across the big screen – a sight I will never get used to seeing in a theater – I had my answer almost immediately.

Sorkin puts his foot on the gas from the first minute, introducing us to our ensemble cast at lightning speed and getting us to the meat and potatoes of the movie – the trial – all within the first 10 minutes. From then on, Sorkin is in his wheelhouse, crafting a well-characterized courtroom drama that moves like a bullet train through its two-hour runtime.

However, he doesn’t get off scot-free. Much like in his directorial debut, “Molly’s Game,” anytime Sorkin directs, his scripts seem off. His direction is perfectly serviceable, but the script lacks that patented Sorkin polish, where every line is whip-smart and he’s ahead of the audience at every turn. Here, he’s at his most lethargic – the dialogue is slower than his usual pace and he lacks the pizzazz of his prior work. The film’s failings, though they are few and far between, lie in his inability to trust that the audience is smart enough to get the message on their own. 

Perhaps I am influenced by the happenings of this year, but I couldn’t help feeling like there are moments in the film where Sorkin and the composer Daniel Pemberton are screaming at the top of their lungs that what is happening on-screen is terrible. They want the audience to reprimand those who are in the film, want them to take to the streets and spread the film’s gospel, and most of all, want them to go straight from the theater to the polls and do their civic duty. 

That’s all good and well, but … we know that. 

We’ve lived through this year. What was happening 50 years ago is still happening today. We are caught in a vicious cycle and it is terrible. But Aaron Sorkin didn’t need to tell me that. A simple Google search could have done the trick and more.

It’s in these moments of the film that irk me to the core in their redundancy and preaching to the choir. But nevertheless, the movie persists. The all-star cast certainly helps, with standouts Mark Rylance, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Joseph Gordon-Levitt carrying the movie. Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen and Frank Langella turn in good performances as well, with the latter toeing the cinematic line between being cartoonishly evil and realistically prejudiced. As far as below-the-line categories go, the editing is pretty top-notch, delivering a few powerful sequences that stay with you long after the credits have rolled. 

Despite its flaws, don’t be shocked when you see “The Trial of the Chicago 7” at the Oscars next February. It’s one that’s really worth your time.