Steal This Movie

While director Robert Greenwald seems to have made this Abbie Hoffman bio mainly for those who think of Hoffman as some cool icon of the '60s, actor Vincent D'Onofrio pours so much of his soul into his role as the rambunctious, revered, reviled and persecuted populist agitator that his performance is just enough to forgive the movie for putting its politics on autopilot. A skilled cinematic effort--Greenwald employs an array of newsreel and recreation techniques to drop the audience convincingly into the chaos of the Vietnam era--Steal This Movie is ultimately made worthwhile by its superb cast, including Janeane Garofalo as Anita Hoffman, Kevin Pollak as Hoffman's lawyer Gerry Lefcourt, and Kevin Corrigan, Donal Logue and Troy Garity (Tom Hayden's son playing Hayden!) as other members of the Chicago Seven. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)