BATTLE IN SEATTLE is not that bad a movie – but one that suffers from offsets in timing. 

For one, the film is centered on the November 1999 demonstrations at the WTO (World Trade Organization) Global Meeting that took place almost 20 years ago.  Secondly, the film’s premise which is to tell the tale from different perspectives has been done before, most notably in Paul Haggis’ Oscar winning CRASH.  Thirdly, BATTLE IN SEATTLE opens a year after being made – and films on world disasters like the Iraqi wars for example, have proven to be a non-moneymaker.

The film’s setting is Seattle.  The people that have to tell their story include Django (Andre Benjamin), Sam (Jennifer Carpenter), Lou (Michelle Rodriguez) and Jay (Martin Henderson), among others.  To writer/director Townsend’s credit, he tries hard to get his audience involved with his characters – at times a bit too much, as in the case of a policeman’s wife, Ella (Charlize Theron) who has a miscarriage as a result of the riots.  But the character that comes across most convincingly is the mayor (aided by Ray Liotta’s impressive performance) who is genuinely sympathetic towards his people yet torn to fulfil his duties.

The film works best when Townsend builds up the tension as the events escalate out of control.  The script contains choice lines as in the mayor’s speech to the protesters: “Be tough on your issues; be kind to my people!”

But Townsend does not deal with the real problem of the WTO or the real underlying reasons protesters appear whenever the organization has its summit meetings around the world.  This shortcoming is realized at the film’s end when Townsend flashes all past WTO meetings and the demonstrations (and repercussions) that have occurred.  But it is the tagged on happy ending that finally mars all the realism built up by Townsend during the rest of the film.