The Trial of the Chicago 7 2020 / A riveting and important drama that still has the feel of a blockbuster

This star-packed drama about an infamous trial of anti-Vietnam war activists is one exceptional movie.

The story goes back to 1968 when different and unconnected groups traveled to Chicago to protest at the Democratic National Convention. They were met with heavy police and National Guard mobilization, and later on, beaten and arrested. 

Their trial, for allegedly inciting violence, is at the intersection of almost everything that went wrong and keeps going wrong with the American establishment. Racism, incompetence,  the corruption of power, complacency, you name it, it’s all here.

Director Aaron Sorkin’s creation captures this intersection brilliantly. The result feels like it’s as much about 2020 as it was about 1968.