Battle in Seattle seems inspired by Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool (1969), a narrative film that used the real life violence at the 1968 Democratic convention as the backdrop to its fictional characters. Actor-turned-writer-director Stuart Townshend weaves in real footage of the 1999 protests as he spins a multi-stranded plot that tries to encompass all sides of the events.
Woody Harrelson is one of the cops on the frontlines of the portests in Battle in Seattle (Redwood Palm Pictures)
On the eve of the WTO millennial meeting, we find Seattle's mayor (Ray Liotta) initially committed to the rights of the protesters who had promised non-violence as they staged marches and street theater. But pressure from Washington and outbreaks of vandalism from fringe elements of the anti-WTO activists soon change the color of the events. Jay (Martin Henderson) is one of the passionate protest leaders who's committed to non-violent methods. His political aversion to the WTO is heightened by the fact that he blames them for his brother's death. Joining Jay but displaying a much lighter spirit is environmentalist Django (Andr e Benjamin of OutKast fame). But wanting to add some muscle to the protest is Lou (Michelle Rodriguez). insist on peaceful protest, which sits uncomfortably with results-driven fellow activist Michelle Rodriguez. Not really taking a political side is Dale (Woody Harrelson), a cop sent to the front lines; his pregnant wife Ella (Charlize Theron); and a bored TV journalist (Connie Nielsen). We also see a couple of people attending the WTO meetings but marginalized by the organizers: Dr. Maric (Rade Serbedzija), a Doctors Without Borders advocate whose plea for AIDS relief falls on deaf ears; and African delegate Abassi (Isaach De Bankol e) who grows weary of always being relegated to the sidelines.
The benefit of all these characters running around is that we get a broad overview what was going on. The down side is that Townshend has a hard time allowing any character or plot strand develop much depth. This means that characters become character types and they end up having to represent a whole group of people. It also means that Townshend has to take shortcuts to tell all their stories and make each pay off. So there's a certain level of shrill contrivance at play here - the news reporter has an unbelievable and sudden change of heart, and Ella is made a symbolic victim, just to cite two of the more manipulative plot turns. Among the cast, the bigger stars deliver the least convincing performances. Harrelson and Theron strain to be more than cardboard cut outs. But lesser known performers such as Serbedzija and De Bankol e bring fire to their outrage.
Martin Henderson and Michelle Rodriguez are protesters in Battle in Seattle (Redwood Palm Pictures)
Yet the film also boasts an undeniable power. Following fairly closely on the heels of the documentary Chicago 10, Battle in Seattle reminds us that the tradition of protest is still alive and well in America. The media may not cover protests as fully as they deserve but these protests are still going on and seeing the passion that drives these people is compelling. Townshend is best at capturing the chaos and energy of the people on the street. He mixes archive news footage of the protests with his own tense recreations to put viewers right there on the streets with the protesters.
Battle in Seattle (rated R for language and some violence) arrives amidst a number of films with politics in the forefront. It joins Flow, The Lucky Ones, Uncounted , and Religulous as films arriving just before the election and laying out themes that will hopefully encourage people to think very carefully about who we decide to elect as leaders. And that's a good thing. As a film, Battle in Seattle is flawed and overly ambitious but also intense and compelling.
Companion viewing: Chicago Ten, Medium Cool, Amandla, Yes Men
