By
the second day, tired of entreaty, police pummelled protestors with
rubber bullets and deployed capsicum spray and tear gas in their
aggressive attempts to disperse the crowds.
A federal jury later found
that the City of Seattle had violated the constitutional rights of
demonstrators to free assembly, and a restitution payment of $250,000
was made to 157 protestors arrested outside of the no-protest zone
during the WTO events.
In
his directorial debut Stuart Townsend succeeds in capturing the tension
and melodrama of the protest action, including its lead up and
aftermath.
Though the film’s anti-globalisation message
largely takes precedence over character progression, it features a slew
of noteworthy actors in strong supporting roles. Charlize Theron is
excellent as a pregnant middle-class shop assistant unintentionally
caught up in the furore, as is Woody Harrelson in an uncharacteristic
role as her duty-bound riot squad husband.
Martin
Henderson provides a passionate yet intelligent focal point as an
activist spurred on by memories of his brother killed during a logging
protest, and Michelle Rodriguez is typically feisty as his firebrand
former lover.
Ray Liotta, Andre Benjamin of Outkast fame and
Channing Tatum also put in strong, rounded performances, and Rade
Serbedzija is convincing as the Medicins Sans Frontiers spokesman
desperate to humanise the trade discussions.
Drawing on stills and video footage of the actual protests, Battle in Seattle is
confronting in its unflinching realism. The camerawork effectively
conveys what it must have been like to be a part of the crowd during
those five tumultuous days, and shots of the largely-peaceful
demonstrators being beaten and blinded by pepper spray make for
extremely uncomfortable viewing.
This potent and well-researched film makes a strong impression.
It
is a crisp and undeniably impressive first outing from Townsend, who
proves adept at eliciting emotion from his talented ensemble cast.
Though
not exactly providing a balanced overview of the World Trade
Organisation, the summit or its objectives, the visceral action scenes
and affecting performances make this an extremely worthwhile
exploration of one of the largest and most effective anti-globalisation
protests in history. DVD Special Features
Nothing at all... strange - surely a documentary on the real events would have been worthwhile to include.
Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: N/A
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