Eddy Redmayne stars in Netflix’s The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Everything ents that gets a big yes from us this week CERT 15, 129 MINUTES, 16 OCTOBER ON NETFLIX
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Rylance, Jeremy Strong, Frank Langella, Joseph Gordon-levitt Director: Aaron Sorkin
THE PLOT In 1969, against a backdrop of anti-vietnam War protest, eight men are belatedly charged with having incited a riot near the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago the previous August. Attorney William Kuntsler (Rylance) faces an uphill battle defending his seven clients, given the evident bias of the elderly judge (Langella), while the eighth defendant – Black Panther Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdulmateen) – skirmishes with the court over his right to his own legal representation.
WHAT’S RIGHT WITH IT? As you’d expect from the writer of The Social Network Aaron Sorkin, the smart, free-flowing dialogue elevates this far above your typical courtroom drama, and is never better than when two of the defendants – assimilationist young politician Tom Hayden (Redmayne) and radical prankster Abbie Hoffman (Baron Cohen) – tussle over their differences of approach to protest. Deft interweaving of archive footage spices up the drama.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT? It’s a quibble, but Baron Cohen and Strong (who plays Hoffman’s sidekick Jerry Rubin) are at least a decade older than their characters were in 1969 – and look it. VERDICT The Oscars may be six months away, but awards season is officially launched with the release of this superb drama – which particularly resonates thanks to the US federal response to Black Lives Matter protests this year. Catch it on Netflix, or in select cinemas, but don’t miss it. HHHHH Charles Gant