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Chicago 10
Roadside Attractions


6.8

based on 24 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 8 votes
Read user comments
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Internet Movie Database

MPAA RATING: R for language and brief sexual images

Starring Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, Roy Scheider, Liev Schreiber, and Jeffrey Wright

Chicago 10 tells the story of the buildup and unraveling of the Chicago Conspiracy trial--not as history but as an electrifying experience felt with up-to-the-moment immediacy. Interweaving footage of the brutal clashes between police and demonstrators at the 1968 Democratic convention with 3D animated reenactments of the outrageous trial that followed it, the audience becomes eyewitnesses of violent turmoil, as well as absurdist spectacle. Set to a blazing soundtrack that ranges from Black Sabbath and Steppenwolf to the Beastie Boys and Eminem, "Chicago 10" is a stirring account of young Americans taking a stand in the face of an oppressive government--a story that resonates deeply in our world today. (Roadside Attractions)

GENRE(S):	Animation \| Documentary
WRITTEN BY:	Brett Morgan
DIRECTED BY:	Brett Morgan
RELEASE DATE:	Theatrical: February 29, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	100 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Morgen plunges viewers completely into the anarchic, exhilarating, finally ambiguous world of 1968 America; his final stroke of genius is his choice of music, which includes a breathtaking use of Eminem's "Mosh."

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Brett Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture) has made an electrifying picture.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

The result is Grade-A agitpop, a mixture of archival footage and cheeky, creative animated reconstruction that's funny and frightening in equal measure.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Sometimes the best way to relate history is to tinker with it and make it feel like a living thing.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

In its best moments, and they are considerable, Chicago 10 makes you see 1968, that near-apocalyptic year, with fresh eyes, as an extraordinary turning point in history now at least partly set free from boomer nostalgia and regret.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Chicago 10 is well worth seeing, if only because a good half of the film is devoted to extraordinary footage of the four days of rage that spawned the trial.

Chicago Tribune Sid Smith

Morgen’s best achievement is the news footage, more detailed looks at events outside the Conrad Hilton Hotel and in Chicago parks than you typically see on TV rehashes.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

Chicago 10 is a lot of fun, but it could stand to take its subjects a little more seriously, if only because they themselves are so frequently goofy that mocking them is complete overkill.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

The movie conveys the drama of the moment but eschews context. The result is an arresting yet frustrating experience.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Worth seeing for the expert archival selections, but a decidedly mixed bag for anyone familiar, or unfamiliar, with the times.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Bill White

Offers compelling footage, but its revisionism can be distracting.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The defendants – especially Hoffman and Rubin – baited elderly Judge Julius J. Hoffman, who never failed to take the bait; Seale was so obstreperous that Hoffman had him gagged and bound to a chair, another indelible image.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

A provocative reflection of its rule-breaking subjects, Brett Morgen's political documentary re-examines the past while drawing unmissable parallels to the present.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

Morgen's decision to avoid talking heads recounting events and find a way to dramatize them instead is consistent with his intention for the film. The director wants to bring recent history to life for people who weren't around to witness it, and in that he succeeds pretty admirably.

Variety Todd McCarthy

A vibrantly crafted evocation of a convulsive moment in 20th century American history, Chicago 10 is far less interested in offering a fresh, probing look at what took place on the streets during the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the circus trial that followed than it is in celebrating the stars of the anti-war movement and rallying the current generation to follow their examples.

Film Threat Jeremy Mathews

The movie stylishly portrays the story of the Chicago Seven with archival footage and animated sequences. Without reference to or retrospection from the present, Morgen crafts a film that is as pertinent as ever.

Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt

Equal parts tragedy and comedy, high drama and low farce.

Premiere Glenn Kenny

The courtroom scenes are the animated ones…and said animation looks rather cruder than your average PS3 game.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

However authentically chaotic, Chicago 10 is insufficiently frenzied.

USA Today Claudia Puig

An ambitious and occasionally illuminating hybrid documentary. But a cacophony of sights and sounds and a disjointed narrative dilute the message.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Brett Morgen’s semi-animated, semi-documentary attempt to make the ’60s cool for a new generation of kids, does the opposite. It is a narrow, glib dollop of canned history, an affirmation of received thinking rather than a challenge to it.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Chicago 10 has interesting moments, but basically it's a teaser for Steven Spielberg's upcoming feature on the trial.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Given the filmmaker's privileged perspective of hindsight, to not consider the real-world repercussions of their theater, to not connect the dots between 1968 and 2008 is a squandered opportunity.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

The movie's effectiveness is distorted by its hero-worship of the Chicago defendants.

The average user rating for this movie is 6.8 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ken G gave it a9:
As an extensive history lesson this is a bit fuzzy, but what this film does very well is capture the spirit, mood and the tone of both events (the riots and the trial) in a way that is intense, powerful, and harrowing.

Jay H. gave it a7:
Great subject, very informative, but the animated segments are irritating and distract from the power of the subject matter. It's amazing that it all happened to begin with.

John R. gave it a0:
Pretentious, boring and manipulative.

Dave gave it a9:
Very interesting film. Since I was very young during the DNC in Chicago in 1968, this was very educational to me. I thought there would be more animation, but overall very good.

Djd gave it a2:
Pretentious and tedious, this film tries so hard to be hip it might as well have prohibited any viewing except on the 16 GB iPhone. Morgen's very self-conscious direction provides no context for the events of the film leaving most viewers scratching their heads and unmoved. This lack of background does a disservice to his heroes by not showing the tiniest bit of the reasoning and provocation for their actions which would've humanized them. Instead, they come across as immature pranksters. When the climax of the film comes, the protesters being throttled by the police, all Morgen can do to try and make you feel something is crank up the score which just feels manipulative and diminishes the emotions that could've been felt. A perfect example of style over substance. Is it that hard to achieve both?

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Chicago 10 Roadside Attractions

Chicago 10
Roadside Attractions