With his new film, and second as director, The Trial Of The Chicago 7 now playing on Netflix everywhere, we thought we’d list our favourite features from the genius that is Mr. Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin is known for his dialogue-heavy, very quick-paced screenplays, and is most loved for his television work, specifically The West Wing, the political series that spanned a massive seven seasons. His new film is a period piece, set in 1969 and the trial surrounding a group of seven individuals, put on the stand following their involvement in the protests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago a year previous.
The Trial Of The Chicago 7, in our opinion, ranks high on the list of the filmmaker’s work, but let’s take a look at Sorkin’s other works which you should definitely consider if you want more.
A Few Good Men (1992)
Released in 1992, A Few Good Men is Sorkin’s debut film as a screenwriter, and was based on his play of the same name which was first staged on Broadway three years earlier in 1989. Featuring a stellar cast that includes the likes of Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and the legendary Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men revolves around military lawyers who, during a court martial, uncover a high level conspiracy from above. It is most famous for its legendary courtroom scene and that immortal line screamed by Nicholson’s Col. Jessup – “You can’t handle the truth!’
Molly’s Game (2017)
We thought we’d put Sorkin’s excellent directorial debut on the list next. Molly’s Game is adapted from Molly Bloom’s 2014 memoir of the same name. We can all play poker and roulette online, but Molly Bloom, here played by Jessica Chastain, was setting up underground games for rich clients, including sports stars, Hollywood actors and business tycoons. She was the target of an FBI operation after they uncover her massive empire. Also starring Idris Elba, Molly’s Game is a solid debut from Sorkin as a director, and his strong script was particularly applauded following the film’s premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
Steve Jobs
In 2015, Sorkin teamed up with British film director Danny Boyle to bring this true story of Apple founder Steve Jobs to the screen. The film is split into three chunks, each one focussing one one major moment in the late entrepreneur’s life. Michael Fassbender plays the title role, while Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels are also amongst the impressive cast. Sorkin’s screenplay, however, is the stand-out, the writer being awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay at the 73rd Golden Globes.
Moneyball
Brad Pitt leads this excellent sports drama from 2011 which is set in the world of Major League Baseball. This is the film you can have the most fun with out of all of the aforementioned movies as it takes a seemingly boring subject of using computers and maths to assemble the most cost-effective baseball team, and makes it utterly grossing for the usually butt-numbing 2 and a quarter hours that it plays out for on screen. Jonah Hill is also amongst the cast, as is the superb, much missed Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Oakland A’s coach.
The Social Network
Hailed as a masterpiece upon its release ten years ago, The Social Network is arguably Sorkin’s finest work as a feature screenwriter. Here, he teams with master director David Fincher for a film that revolves around the story of Mark Zuckerberg and the inception of Facebook. The film bagged Sorkin his first Oscar, for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2011, and still holds up as one of the best movies of the past ten years. Jesse Eisenberg is perfectly cast as Zuckerberg, while Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer also turn in career making roles in support. Unmissable and truly classic Aaron Sorkin writing.
