Battle in Seattle (2008)

The movie is a heavy-handed drama. I don't think it will cause as many to tear up with heartfelt emotion, as to grimace with obviously telegraphed and contrived situations. I value it because of what it teaches about the misunderstood unfolding of events in that historical Battle In Seattle. The movie has important lessons for police, riot control, and activists such as Black Lives Matter who want to avoid destructive and counterproductive interactions. Because of the misleading press coverage at the time, American police departments geared up for an army of organized anarchist protesters they imagined would show up in their towns next... A closer study shows the protesters were average and the few violent anarchists probably would have done some damage and been curtailed in a normal city with competent crowd control. The movie shows why Seattle needed a new mayor and police chief due to the response to the protests. (Both lost their jobs.) People looking for political fame don't always make good decisions. Switching from one bad policy to another doesn't work: They went from "Arrest Nobody" to "Arrest Everybody". Students with 2 days of police school aren't ready to be put in formation for a major riot. Don't shoot teargas on to the buses going by!

It's late 1999 Seattle and the World Trade Organization (WTO) is holding a conference on American soil for the first time. The WTO is not well known but it has attracted a vast and varied opposition. Jim Tobin (Ray Liotta) is the mayor. Jay (Martin Henderson) is leading his group, Lou (Michelle Rodriguez), Django (André Benjamin), and Sam (Jennifer Carpenter). He had lost his brother during a protest. Dale (Woody Harrelson) and rookie Johnson (Channing Tatum) are two of the riot police. Dale's pregnant wife Ella (Charlize Theron) is caught up in the battle. Dr. Maric (Rade Serbedzija) is from Médecins Sans Frontières trying to present to the delegates.I don't know if Dale and Ella are based on real people but it feels too convenient. It seems very fake which takes away Dale and Jay's emotional payoff. The movie would be better if more impartial. Stuart Townsend has a point to make and he needs to set it up better. Maric could do an introduction about the need for medicine. Jay could do an introduction of the lost of his brother. The movie could explain what the WTO did that was so wrong as an intro. It has some compelling action. It gets its points across. It's a fictional docudrama that works more than it doesn't.

I really liked this movie, what an impossible situation, that's well portrayed here as we get to see it from all sides of the protest; the police, the assorted protesters, the mayor, several WTO delegates, a news anchor and her cameraman and a pregnant woman caught in the middle of it all. An excellent ensemble cast represent all these characters and I love movies with multiple story lines that all converge.This movie wasn't perfect by any means but I definitely got wrapped up in the fictionalized account presented here of the 1999 protest riots at the World Trade Organization conference. My eyes were actually (sympathy) stinging from all the tear gas used, as we see thousands of activists descend on Seattle Washington and witness the chaos that ensues over the next several days. Brutal. Huge cast but I would have to say Woody Harrelson & Charlize Theron's story stood out the most. I also really enjoyed Michelle Rodriguez & Martin Henderson as the activists. On a personal note this was very relatable as I was in Vancouver for the Stanley Cup riots. 9/30/14

Based on actual events, this really is unnerving. But in a good way. Of course it has some cinematic changes to it (like putting people together we know, where could expect them to have more "space" between them) and other freedoms a movie does take. Really great actors convince you, that this is how it went down.But it's strong part is that it shows us both sides of the coin. While of course more sympathetic to one side of it, we still get a chance to glance at "the enemy" and how or why decision were made. You couldn't imagine anyone better than Ray Liotta playing the Mayor. And though it is a very moral story, it is a very personal story too. Hopefully it will spark the interest of quite a few people to be more concerned about what happens out there.On the other hand as movie, it does have a few flaws, because it puts so many people together. And of course one of the best "in-jokes" is a theatre and their "Thanks Seatlle ..." title card/board towards the end ... A nice touch!