Customer Reviews

Battle in Seattle

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I was lucky enough to see this film in advance, and it opened my eyes to a few very important issues.

Going in, I'd never even heard of the "battle in Seattle," as I was only 13 years old at the time of the protests. But now that I'm aware of the event, it makes me wonder why the controversies with the WTO aren't still being discussed on a larger scale.

This is something that we should all be concerned about, and Stuart Townsend has done us a favor by introducing the issues in a format that is riveting, informative, and inspirational. If there's one thing Battle in Seattle does best, it's that it fires you up to take action any way you can.

Not to mention the great production values, absolutely stellar cast, and intense action sequences (Intense because they're real! Actual footage was used).

I would highly recommend attending a showing of this film with your family and friends, because these matters are important to us all, and Stuart's presentation of them is nothing short of breathtaking.

I rented this movie because it took place in my old neighborhood and portrays events that I actually witnessed. I didn't expect it to be great but I had no idea that it would be so terrible. The only thing that was good about it was the actual footage that was inserted. The plot is lame and the dialog is contrived. The characters only exist to further the writer's political point of view which is painfully obvious. While I agree with the writer's position, I think this movie would have been better if he had made some semblance of an attempt to be objective - let the viewers decide for themselves. The police are portrayed as instruments of evil, when in fact having been there, I can say that many of them appeared truly frightened by the situation. There is one scene where Woody Harrelson's character bolts off into the crowd alone chasing after a particular protestor. This is just nonsense. The streets were too crowded for him to have been able to run like that, and though the protest began peacefully by the second night (when this scene was supposedly to have taken place) many people were angry enough that a single policeman charging into the crowd like that would have suffered the citizens' wrath.

Promising new director STUART TOWNSEND -- perhaps better known for his starring roles in films such as "A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" or "Queen of the Damned" -- proves to be an effective storyteller with his skillful and dramatic recreation of events surrounding the historic World Trade Organiation riots in Seattle. Featuring an impressive, but not distracting, all-star cast, "Battle In Seattle" presents an effective and engaging look at the motivations behind those forces who want to control the world's marketplace, with those who will fight for freedom, opportunity and balance in commerce. Regardless of one's political or economic leanings, the film holds the audience by presenting the human-drama endured by participants on both sides of the police lines. Townsend handles his cast with skill and grace, perhaps borne from years of his own experience in front of the camera. Given a more traditionally structured screenplay (and a less controversial topic), you can expect to see something truly profound from Stuart Townsend in upcoming films. Check out "Battle in Seattle," and enjoy!

This was one of the best films I saw in 2008 (yes, I was lucky to be at one of 2 screenings in Los Angeles). Frankly, it was better than any of the Oscar nominated Best Films. It's well-shot, well-acted, well-researched (as I understand it, the factual basis is completely accurate) and well-written. What's amazing is that though the writer-director is a well-established Irish actor, this is the first film he has made. The film is very much an ensemble work, weaving a tapestry of all the players in the Seattle riots (politicians, cops, activists, by-standers). What I particularly liked about this film was just how fair it was to everybody. Nobody is a villain even when they do very bad things (the cops, the mayor). There are very real motivations... people had the best of intentions. It's a complex portrait - nothing like the media coverage given to us. It's a completely entertaining movie, but it's an important film as well. I think this is a movie every patriotic American should see, and by patriotic, I mean those who believe in the U.S. Constitution. But it was financed by a Canadian and had no major studio distribution so thus, nobody knew about it.

Coming from Seattle, having lived through the WTO protests, I am proud S. Townsend took this topic to task. Townsend is a sweetheart and brave soul to care about the impact this event had on our city, and the world at large. Thank you for coming here and creating this film! It is well done, and I'm gratified by much of the original network news footage as well as the storyline.

This film will speak to young Americans just coming to understand how our economics impact the planet. Some characters may seem cheesy, but I found them to be authentic, easy to identify with for the most part. Yes, many people were tear-gassed and beaten in the streets for peaceful protesting. Yes, this went for 3 solid days, here in the heart of Seattle. Yes, I had a friend sleeping on my couch for a few nights, since he couldn't SEE after being tear-gassed. Yes, some children were tear-gassed, walking as pedestrians with their parents down the street. Yes, the city was under curfew and citizens were told to stay in their homes. And yes, the streets of our city were completely ripped-up. All the shop windows were kicked in and... Well, it all had an interesting way of addressing our materialism! Just in time for the Christmas shopping season. YAY!

(Seattle has not been the same since.)

What makes this film important is, it does give some human documentation to the FIRST international protest which was ever organized on the internet.

Into the third day of protests, media attempted to keep national news reports on the down-low; we had to tune-in to PBS in order to find out what was happening. For many, it represents the beginning of the needed CHANGE we were to strive for - - coming into nine long years later! After the events of 9/11, the war in Iraq, and with the election of Barack Obama. The true-life story behind this film shows us how hard-earned change can be; that it does not happen overnight. It happens in small revolutions of people, coming together with united intention.

As America falls into a recession which affects all nations, globally, and as we continue to work at pulling ourselves out of the wars in the Middle East, this film is an important, informative way to educate yourself on our global economic issues and the needs for change. If you're without a job right now, see if you can rent this film and think about the possibility of going to work for PEACE. If you need a little inspiration about root networks? And why it is that going green can help us in the future? This film and the true-life stories behind it will show you the way.

Years ago, TIME magazine had a cover article on the "Battle in Seattle." In the article, TIME had a map of downtown Seattle that marked certain high rise buildings. The building in which I worked every day was starred as "Ground Zero" for the Battle. When I watched the movie, it brought back my hassles of getting to and from work over the four demonstration days. Although I was in the midst of all the action, I didn't really understand the Battle in Seattle until I watched this movie. If you buy the DVD, as I did, be sure to watch the bonus features. One of the bonus features explains why the subject matter was chosen, how it was perceived by the writer and director, and most importantly, it explains very well the WHY of the Battle. I highly recommend the movie. I took one star off of my review because one of the characters was a shallow one played by an actress that didn't do a convincing job with the material she was given.

I had read the book a few weeks before seeing the movie (yes, there is an actual book). The movie was nothing like the book and I didn't really learn much from watching the movie. My husband and I were bored during it. The governor didn't seem any thing like Gary Locke except that he was Chinese. He was a very angry fella. The subplot with the pregnant woman was not mentioned as I recall in the book, so I guess they just felt they needed to add this. Lots of fu-- swear words didn't make the movie any more appealing and I don't remember any swear words in the book. All in all the movie did not capture the spirit of the passionate people who were involved in fighting the WTO and in portraying all of the planning that went into this.

The only time the REAL issues of the Seattle protests are addressed are in the beginning credits and the ending credits, everything in between is weak and only marginally addresses the mass of protests and range of protesters who actually participated in the events. The film made it seem like the entirety of the events came down to one small group of people, which is a complete lie. A larger ensemble approach with various people representing various interests would have been a better way to construct the narrative.

the cast was fantastic and the story was told genuinely. this movie demonstrates what a protest is through the eyes of a protester, civilian trying to get from point A to point B, and the police man who is just doing his job. have you ever wanted to know the reality of what people in the middle of a protest go through? this is the movie that tells you the truth, the tragic truth. the protesters fight for what they believe in while the law enforcement are told to hold them back or end their march. their is also the reporter covering what the media wants you to see, and unfortunately there are always those unfortunate civilians trapped in a protest, and become victims.(SPOILERS) a mother loses her unborn child because of the unnecessary strategy and methods police men use and a police man loses his son or daughter because of what a police man did. there are also protesters who feel like every profitable business is the perfect target to get back at the WTO. And unfortunately those irresponsible actions from those few who protest with violence force the police to generalize every protester as being aggressors. and of course that reporter who instead of covering the event experiences what she sees, and her humanity forces her to do the right thing.

based on the reviews below or above, i thought the movie was going to be poor. to my surprise the movie was an incredible experience which made me cry and see the bigger picture of what a protester must go through to get a message across the ears of the civilian judging them at home watching the news and the people that force them to fight in order to make a difference.

The movie is good. It sours the reality of a lot of Anarchist's and other protesters that were present. You should also get the book Battle og the story of the Battle of Seattle. It is put out by AK Press. Phenomenal read that pairs well with this movie. Link here: [...]