Ridiculous ensemble cast, and Sorkin's slick lines to support. Plus i LOVE a courtroom drama. This is liberal stuff with a capital L.
Hoffman and his fellow defendants face off against a Government prosecution and a brazenly unsympathetic judge, Sorkin's screenplay works its magic through the sheer spectacle of the courtroom proceedings. Through testimonies and circumstantial evidence, it becomes clear that the accusations of a conspiracy are baseless, most obvious in the case of Bobby Seale (fiercely portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who is charged along with the Chicago 7 without any reasonable evidence of collusion.
The confrontations between Hoffman and Tom Hayden (a steady, confident Eddie Redmayne) resonate as they explore the tensions between achieving progress through traditional, "respectable" means, versus disrupting the status quo by overturning a failing system.
This movie would have already been a must-see film for its captivating ensemble, Sorkin script and rousing story. But its sincere plea for a more free and fair democracy makes it all the more essential in a pivotal election year for the US.
