‘Battle in Seattle’ has a few problems

If, like me, you tend to scour the aisles of you local DVD rental store, you’re bound to come across the film “Battle in Seattle.”

It’s a familiar title, based on the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle, and it boasts a fairly noteworthy cast that includes Charlize Theron , Woody Harrelson, Connie Nielsen and Michelle Rodriguez.

So why did it get consigned to what essentially was a straight-to-DVD release? Turns out there are several reasons, including:

Accidentalisms: Stuart Townsend’s film, based on his own screenplay, boasts too many convenient plot devices. Among them: Characters played by Martin Henderson and Rodriguez end up in adjoining cells; Henderson’s character being everywhere the real trouble is (and, early on, confronting the vandals who cause the initial destruction); Henderson’s character being conveniently alone when Harrelson’s character apologizes to him.

Forced love story: No chemistry exists between Henderson and Rodriguez, and in any event their relationship isn’t germane to the overall story (unlike Paul Greengrass’ far superior film “Bloody Sunday” ). And the “happy” ending feels like a made-for-TV movie.

Confusing: The overall event probably felt confusing to everyone, but it’s the filmmaker’s obligation to give us a clear look at a confusing situation. What Townsend does is just throw a bunch of action/events on the screen and place us in the middle of it. Again, look to “Bloody Sunday” as a good example of this being done well. Also, it’s never clear who the workers are (in a whole separate protest march?) and what their issue is with the WTO protestors.

Who is who?: Henderson’s back story is never fully explained (who is his brother, what happened to him?), and his relationship with Sam (Jennifer Carpenter) is also never fully explained (what are they to each other; what is her position, and why is she reluctant to continue).

Not that “Battle in Seattle” fails to have a few qualities.

Andre Benjamin : His character of Django feels real, natural. His scene in the bus, when he is trying to get everyone to sing “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” is one of the best in the film. Also, his frustration at not being able to get Nielsen’s character to see his viewpoint (when she abruptly quits the interview) isn’t overdone but, again, feels natural.

Irony: The arguments made by some of the characters testifying before the WTO are worthwhile, i.e., Rade Sherbegzija’s character arguing ( Doctors Without Borders ) for more funding for AIDS in Africa or Isaach De Bankolé’s character arguing for development funds for smaller nations. So when their talks are disrupted by what is happening outside, we can see that such protests can be counterproductive to those invested in particular programs designed to help needy populations around the world.

Evenhandedness: Townsend tries to be fair to the police, showing that even they are exploited by the powers that be (from the mayor on the local level to the WTO itself on the international scale). But he places reps of the WTO itself in purely black hats, as if there are no arguments to be made in its favor – which is patently false. A good filmmaker lets his characters make their argument, then he offers stronger arguments as a counter. He doesn’t stack the deck just so he can villainize the other side.

Below: An interview with “Battle in Seattle” director Stuart Townsend.