The Trial Of The Chicago 7 Every Major Performance Ranked

The Trial Of The Chicago 7: Every Major Performance, Ranked

While Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay is a highlight as always, the acting in The Trial of the Chicago 7 is what really carries this compelling biopic.

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Aaron Sorkin’s latest movie, The Trial of the Chicago 7, is one of the most-talked-about films of the year due to its compelling political story and its historical significance to modern times. The film covers the real life late-’60s case of the “Chicago 7” that occurred during the political unrest of the Vietnam War. As a political courtroom drama, the film has already become one of the frontrunners for the upcoming Oscar season.

Critics and audiences praised the film for its screenplay that depicted the real life court case. However, the performances of the cast were also the highlight of the film. Several actors do a great job of portraying their real life characters due to the development and arcs written for each character. However, there are a few performances that stand out among the rest.

11 Ben Shenkman As Leonard Weinglass

Ben Shenkman, as Leonard Weinglass, had limited screentime in the film. Much of that has to do with the small character development for Weinglass, who acted as a supporting role to Rylance’s Kunstler.

Shenkman does what he can to show the spirits of Weinglass as the defense counsel for the Chicago 7. Most of his scenes are merely to develop the characters like Judge Hoffman, who showed little respect for the defense.

10 Joseph Gordon-Levitt As Richard Schultz

After a four-year hiatus from acting, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is making his return to the big screen. In the film, Gordon-Levitt takes on the role of one of the prosecutors of the case. Unfortunately, Gordon-Levitt does little to make an impression as Richard Schultz, but this is not entirely his fault.

Though Schultz was written to appear sympathetic towards the defendants, Gordon-Levitt was given little writing for his character to show an impression. Also, the film is already filled with an ensemble cast who provided stronger performances in their perspective roles. Gordon-Levitt at least tried his best to show some character for Schultz and did show some effort in doing so.

9 Alex Sharp As Rennie Davis

For the majority of the film, Alex Sharp appears beside Redmayne due to Sharp and Hayden’s friendship. While Sharp does have some moments, Sharp does his best to shine in the role of Rennie Davis.

Unfortunately, the amount of star power in this film makes it difficult for Sharp to really show his acting chops. Also, Sharp is overshadowed by Redmayne, who had a lot more screentime. Though this may sound unfortunate for Sharp, Sharp still provides a decent performance as Davis and is key to supporting the development of characters like Hayden.

8 Michael Keaton As Ramsey Clark

Though Michael Keaton has only a small role as Ramsey Clark, he gives it his all in one of the more shocking revelations regarding the case. As the former United States Attorney General, Keaton presents his poise and confidence when he appears in court.

Keaton does a great job subtly expressing his disapproval of Judge Hoffman and showing his support for the Chicago 7. Though his testimony is not presented to the jury, every single minute of Clark’s appearance will have viewers on the edge of their seats, and that is thanks to the great performance by Keaton.

7 John Carroll Lynch As David Dellinger

As a defendant who maintains his views of nonviolence, David Dellinger was one of the quieter members of the Chicago 7. Despite the limited writing for Dellinger, John Carroll Lynch still gives an impactful portrayal as Dellinger.

In one of Lynch’s final scenes, Dellinger becomes frustrated with the unfairness of Judge Hoffman, who denied Clark to stand as a witness towards the jurors. Given his nonviolent stance on politics, he surprisingly punches a bailiff in front of the court. Lynch shocks everyone with this one scene alone that presents his anger at the moment and expresses those emotions flawlessly.

6 Jeremy Strong As Jerry Rubin

Jeremy Strong also shows a great performance in the film that is different from most roles that he had done in the past. He provides a more cool and relaxed portrayal of Rubin while also sharing the stage of comedic antics with Hoffman.

Strong shares most of his screentime with Baron Cohen, and his chemistry with Baron Cohen is highlighted throughout the film. Strong even has some of his funny moments, which is unusual to see for an actor known for his serious roles like Succession’s Kendall Roy. Strong’s performance is quite effective in the film, but of course, other actors definitely outshine him.

5 Yahya Abdul-Mateen II As Bobby Seale

Coming off from his recent Watchmen Emmy win, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II once again proved why he is one of the biggest rising stars of the year. In his role as Bobby Seale, he is the only defendant that was not represented by Kunstler and was the least associated with the remaining defendants.

Given the period of the case, the film highlights the discrimination and bias towards Bobby Seale, who was the only black defendant in the case. With Seale’s lawyer in the hospital, Judge Hoffman refused to delay the trial and denied Seale the right to represent himself. Mateen provides a brilliant and intense performance as Seale, who continues to fight for his rights in court.

4 Mark Rylance As William Kunstler

While Kunstler tries his best to defend his clients, he also has to deal with the unfairness of a trial that no lawyer could ever imagine. With Mark Rylance as William Kunstler, he expresses the frustration of the lawyer and his attempts to seek justice for his clients.

Mark Rylance is impressive as Kunstler as he tries to remain calm at the beginning of the trial that eventually turns into annoyance with Judge Hoffman. Judge Hoffman’s decision even caused Kunstler to be fed up with the unfairness and to receive over 20 contempt of court charges. Rylance provides a stellar performance as Kunstler, making him one of the more memorable actors in the film.

3 Frank Langella As Judge Julius Hoffman

Viewers would be astonished to see that Judge Julius Hoffman was not only biased, but his behavior throughout the trial was unspeakable, which was how the real Judge Hoffman behaved during the actual trial.

Frank Langella as Judge Hoffman was not only impactful, but it creates enough hatred towards the character for his ruthless behavior. Langella’s portrayal was spot-on and will definitely have people talking, showing that the veteran actor knows how to follow the mannerisms of real life figures, as he did so well in his Oscar-nominated performance as the titular president in Frost/Nixon.

2 Eddie Redmayne As Tom Hayden

The Oscar-winning actor, Eddie Redmayne, plays one of the more significant roles as Tom Hayden. Though the development of his character starts slow in the beginning, his portrayal of Tom Hayden gains momentum in the latter half of the film, which also strengthens the performance of Redmayne.

Redmayne portrays Hayden as one of the more rational defendants, who may not agree with the antics of his colleagues. However, his passion for progressive change is expressed throughout the film, thanks to the amazing performance by Redmayne. Even the practice interrogation scene with Kunstler showed how Redmayne embodied the role of Hayden and his true emotions about the riots and injustice for the American people.

1 Sacha Baron Cohen As Abbie Hoffman

There is no denying that Sacha Baron Cohen was the standout performance in this ensemble cast. Considering that Baron Cohen is known for playing unconventional roles, he was able to balance out the real Abbie Hoffman that compliments the serious tone of the case while also adding the banter and humor of Hoffman to ease the intense situation.

Though his accent was not as strong as Redmayne’s and even broke into his British accent a few times, it does not take away from his overall performance in the film. Most of the best scenes featured Baron Cohen doing his usual comedic antics. However, the comedic moments are moments from that trial that actually happened, which made Baron Cohen the perfect person to play the role. Even his profound moments like his stand as a witness will leave viewers in awe of Baron Cohen’s performance as Abbie Hoffman, making him the best of all the cast.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/the-trial-of-the-chicago-7-performances-ranked/

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