When The Trial of the Chicago 7 began filming in September 2019, it did so as Paramount Pictures new award season hopeful: an acclaimed writer directing his own screenplay, potent subject matter that resonates today and an all-star ensemble spelt success - but then a pandemic hit that changed moviegoing forever. As such, Paramount - knowing that the older audience this film needed to attract in order to turn a profit would be unlikely to return to theatres in the foreseeable - sold the picture to Netflix, where it joins a sea of new originals and acquired content. Is Aaron Sorkin's courtroom drama able to stand out amongst such competition?
When a peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention turns violent, the government charge the organisers with conspiracy to incite a riot, with the ensuing trial going down as one of the most notorious in history. Gestating in development since its screenplay's completion in 2007, The Trial of the Chicago 7 finally arrives with an ensemble including Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne and Sacha Baron Cohen.
Arriving not only in one of the most politically-charged moments in memory but also weeks away from a most important election, The Trial of the Chicago 7's relevancy cannot be disputed. A crucial cautionary tale, the story at hand is arguably more vital today than it was when Sorkin was penning the screenplay thirteen years ago. And yet, in spite of the urgency, this retelling is as safely Hollywood as it comes, employing courtroom drama conventions and storytelling tropes which result in an altogether weak and somewhat disappointing feature.
Despite great acclaim as a writer and many successful screenplays, Sorkin's script relies on exposition to propel the narrative, conveniently condensing important information into easily digestible chunks: a lazy storytelling practise that Sorkin has proven he is above previously. While his signature fast-paced, well-written dialogue can be evidenced throughout, few could deny that this is his weakest effort to date - almost as if the screenplay hasn't been evolved since its 2007 drafting, despite his skill as a writer being proven in subsequent films.
Sorkin's direction and camerawork never really reflects the story's urgency either, with little visual flair leading to a rather impassive experience. Beyond a handful of broadly inspirational moments lifted directly from similarly-set political dramas (the ending is particularly cringe-inducing), there is next-to-no personality of its own, held back by the Hollywood sheen intended to guarantee it as a crowd-pleaser. Again, this feels unusual for Sorkin, who did a terrific job spearing his directorial debut, Molly's Game, a film which makes poker feel dynamic and exciting.
Packed to the rafters with talent, the ensemble does a generally fine job but no one really impresses enough to stand out above the rest. Mark Rylance comes close, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Bobby Seale is a compelling individual, but neither can quite breakout enough to be given MVP status - the latter disappointingly sidelined despite providing the narrative's most interesting strand. And while no one rises the rankings notably enough to be singled out for plaudits, Eddie Redmayne is certainly the weak link, a dodgy and distracting accent just the tip of the iceberg.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 is ultimately a film that represents filmmaking at its most Hollywood, a broad and conventional crowd-pleaser (even down to its swelling, patriotic score from a better-than-this Daniel Pemberton) that isn't a bad film so much as it's one that should have been - and deserved to be - much better. Despite the roster of talent, no single element achieves the greatness you would expect when they align in one film, and The Trial of the Chicago 7 cannot help but feel slightly underwhelming because of the missed opportunity it presents.
Summary: The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a fine, often good film - but with these resources at its disposal, Aaron Sorkin and his starry ensemble with this topical subject matter should have been able to produce a more spirited telling than this.