The Trial of the Chicago 7 Reviews

I wasn’t really sure what to expect but since I kept hearing some really good things about this flick and since it was available on Netflix, I was really eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, I wish had a better knowledge of the historical background and of all the protagonists involved before watching this movie. Indeed, during the first 15 mins, there was so much information to digest, so many names to remember, I have to admit that I did struggle to get a good grip on the damned thing. Fortunately, as soon as the trial began, it became much more straightforward. In fact, it was probably one of the most incredible but also ridiculous trials I have ever seen. In my opinion, it was another proof of how actually rigged the American judicial system was and actually still is. Indeed, I believe that, before any US trial even starts, most of the time, the accused is actually considered as guilty or innocent solely based on their economical, social, racial and, in this case, political background. Of course, you have tons of American movies showing some nail-biting trials during which you wonder what the outcome might turn out to be but the reality is much more predictable and disheartening, I’m afraid. I have noticed that Sacha Baron Cohen was praised for his performance and he was indeed really good but, in my opinion, he stood out mostly because he had the most and probably the only really multi-layered character. That’s the tricky thing when you have 7 accused (plus Bobby Seale) and 2 hours of running time, as a result, except for Abbie Hoffman and maybe Tom Hayden, all the characters were defined with 1 or 2 scenes and were reduced to one specific character stroke. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t completely blow me away, it was still a solid watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.