Sacha Baron Cohen can’t do much wrong at the minute as everything he touches turns to gold. Quite the departure from Borat but building on his excellent turn in one of my top 5 for 2020 (The Spy) he is the standout character amongst a cast that must have cost a pretty penny to assemble, littered with Oscar winners and nominees.

A true story harking back to the dark days of racial persecution and the highly unpopular Vietnam war, the film follows a group of activists hell bent on taking a stand against hawkish politicians and pointless overseas conflict costing thousands of young American lives.

They go up against what can only be described as an extremely corrupt and prejudiced US court system and a brutal, agitated Chicago police force determined to stifle freedom of speech ahead of the 1968 Democratic convention. Some of the shenanigans and tactics employed by the state are ridiculous but this group of flawed individuals don’t help themselves on a number of occasions!

Very powerful and eye opening; ideal for a weekend evening with a glass of wine and a takeaway.

Rating: 8.5/10

Viewed: November 2020