Review of Battle in Seattle (2007) by Luke W — 10 Sep 2009

I was in the WTO riots at the time, and although the emphasis on accuracy was pretty hyped through this film's presskit, in reality it's far too sensationalized to truly be accurate. Though it tries to portray all sides of the issue--the well-meaning but ultimately futile protests, the hard-working police at the end of their ropes, the mayor trying to have everything on both sides--the tone and plot side with the protesters, portraying them as unflinching heroes in the shadow of true evil: the faceless corporations and the legion of sadistic police sent to enforce their plans for world domination.

Regardless of personal politics, it's not a great movie on its own. The multiple plotlines tend to get muddy and uninteresting, and become downright preachy as they wind towards the climax. There are a few exploitative shots, like seeing Michelle Rodriguez having her eyes flushed out by fellow protesters twice--yes, this really did happen to a lot of kids, but there's no need to drive the point home. Character development is limited to a handful of quick expose scenes, and although the interspertion of filmed scenes and real video footage lends an aura of credibility to the project, it ends up being a distraction as the scenes in question don't match properly.

Without the bias and exploitation, it might not have been a terrible movie. As it stands, it's really only for those with a fascination with the day that transformed our national perception from non-jaywalking, non-littering artsytown to man-fighting, fist-raising militantism.