Battle in Seattle

SYNOPSIS

The whole world was supposed to be watching in 1999 when demonstrators at the World Trade Organisation summit in Seattle clashed with riot police. For those who missed it, actor-turned-director Stuart Townsend's intense and exciting drama rehashes events. It focuses on a handful of characters who are swept up in the chaos: a non-violent activist (Martin Henderson), a riot cop (Woody Harrelson) and his pregnant wife (Charlize Theron), and the city's beleaguered mayor (Ray Liotta). Shot on handheld cameras by cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (United 93), it captures the anarchy and terror of the protests as the city turned into a war zone brilliantly. Less effective are the cardboard cut-out characters, while the occasional descent into shrill polemic - WTO bad, protesters good - is about as subtle as being hit over the head with a police baton.