Battle in Seattle follows a large group of characters — well-meaning activists, frustrated police officers, stressed-out politicians, shit-disturbing anarchists, innocent Baby Gap employees — during the 1999 World Trade Organization protests that melted down into full-scale riots. Mixing art with politics is always tricky, and first-time director Stuart Townsend — who also wrote the script — runs into some of the usual snags, occasionally leaning on thin characterizations and weak dialogue, but the film’s message usually rises above the awkwardness.

As police prep for the protest, they conveniently introduce our protagonists by reading their files out loud. Thus we learn the back-stories and motivations of key figures in the organized demonstration, including sensitive ringleader Jay (Martin Henderson), sexy tough-girl Lou (Michelle Rodriguez), turtle-loving Django (the charismatic André Benjamin, a.k.a. André 3000) and lefty legal eagle Sam (Jennifer Carpenter). We also meet strained police officer Dale (Woody Harrelson) and his five-months-pregnant wife Ella (Charlize Theron), in-over-his-head Mayor Jim Tobin (Ray Liotta), Doctors Without Borders representative Dr. Maric (Rade Serbedzija) and television journalist Jean (Connie Nielson). It’s an ambitious ensemble piece, an approach that sacrifices deeper character development for the opportunity to present the story from multiple perspectives. Yet the actors inhabit their roles with great conviction — one that must’ve led them to the project in the first place.

The film’s earnest desire to inform moviegoers about the devastation wreaked by global corporate interest and the resulting erosion of the environment, human rights and civil liberties is admirable — these days there might even be a growing audience for politically critical entertainment. Unlike the lingering romance surrounding the resistance movements of the late ’60s, the WTO protests have mostly drifted out of popular memory. It’s unlikely that Battle in Seattle will elevate the events to legendary status, but it could generate some needed discussion.

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