Battle in Seattle is largely about the media’s ability to slant an issue, distort it, and soften or strengthen its blow to the American public.  It looks at the events surrounding the WTO meeting held in Seattle in November of 1999 - how protesters shut down the WTO’s ability to meet, how anarchists took advantage of the opening and turned the protests into riots, and how the media coverage of it sensationalized and lost the truth at its core.

Have no memory of the 1999 riots in Seattle?  You’re not alone.  That is part of the film’s ultimate aim - to ask “why?”  What little you do remember, if anything, is probably footage of rioters breaking windows, of police brutality, of declarations of martial law within the city.  You may even remember the catchy title the media assigned the event - “Battle in Seattle.”  But most of the folks who remember what really happened are likely residents of Seattle who were there at the time.

I had the pleasure of viewing the film with a friend who was living in Seattle that November, and was therefore privy to her memory of how the events unfolded.  This was an appropriate way to experience the film, as “perspective” is the center of writer/director Stuart Townsend’s vision.  He shows the events of those days through the eyes of two police officers, three protesters, an innocent by-stander, the Mayor, a news reporter...

Townsend does an excellent job giving each of these characters a unique and sympathetic voice.  While his political agenda is abundantly clear in his opening and closing text credits, he goes to great lengths to show what a complex situation the event became for all involved.  The film is critical of police and politicians’ actions, but bothers to give the difficulty of their decisions a voice within the story.  And those voices are as human and complex as the protesters Townsend sides with (but who are also flawed).

The first hour half of the film is downright brilliant.  Visionary direction, strong performances, incredible pacing; I was at the edge of my seat!  As it enters into the late second act, it begins to clamor.  The protagonists begin to lose sympathy, become a bit too flawed.  And in the end, Townsend’s inability to shave 20 minutes from the film weakens the blow it could have delivered.

Still, some of the scenarios are set up beautifully (police officer being brutalized, pregnant woman to portray how innocent bystanders were caught in the fray), and a star-studded cast of talented actors adds to its box office draw.  A well-written, well-directed film with excellent production values, of social relevance, with a star-studded cast...  Where was its theatrical release?  Why did it only show in theaters in five cities in the U.S.?  And why does Blockbuster carry only three copies obscured on a bottom shelf?  Hmmmmm...