The Trial Of Chicago 7 Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

2. It's Superbly Directed

Though writers don't always make the smoothest of transitions to directing, Sorkin proved with his 2017 filmmaking debut Molly's Game that he absolutely has the chops to enjoy a successful career as a multi-hyphenate artist.

That's something he confirms here with a decidedly more ambitious and adventurous second film, which not only tackles a weightier and more all-encompassing subject for society, but reinvents the visual language of the courtroom drama in playful and creative ways.

In its best moments this feels like the genre by way of Sorkin's pal David Fincher, with extreme formal restraint ensuring the focus is always on the actors, though employing crackerjack cuts where necessary to make emphatic points.

It marks major growth for Sorkin as a director in his second time up to bat, for which he's damn-near certain to receive a Best Director Oscar nomination.