The Trial Of Chicago 7 Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs
Netflix has a sure-fire Oscar contender on their hands.
While the Academy Awards have been pushed back by two months to next April, awards season is nevertheless already in full swing, with a number of mighty contenders staking their claim on the coveted gold statues.
Near the top of the pack so far, then, is Aaron Sorkin's new courtroom drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, which documents the show-trial of a group of anti-Vietnam War protestors who were charged with conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
Though the film being bought by Netflix from Paramount earlier in the year might suggest a disappointing project that simply wasn't worth the hassle of a theatrical release, that's thankfully not the case at all.
With the viable future of cinemas very seriously in doubt right now, this feels more like an aggressive move by Netflix to drum up as much awards season clout as possible.
And that they'll certainly do, because this witty, deftly crafted, superbly acted ensemble drama is one of the best films of the year to date, and sure to go down a huge crowd-pleaser with streaming audiences.
Whether it'll prove democratic enough to scoop the Best Picture Oscar itself remains to be seen, but a slew of nominations are guaranteed...