This Revolution (2005)

Perfect cast and a good story

Disappointment for a huge fan!

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The movie starts with what appears to be documentary footage of protests at the 2004 Democratic Convention in Boston.Later we learn Jake filmed the footage and is showing it to Chloe, who works at BCN and is also his romantic interest. They don't have a perfect relationship, though, since Chloe cares about getting ahead and Jake cares about the truth. The Republican Convention is coming up in New York City, and BCN wants Jake to cover the "war" taking place in the streets. Jake has experience with war, having been the first "embedded" journalist in Iraq.Before the convention, though, Jake and his sound man Dexter film some opinions of people in general, including a wacko who thinks Bush caused 9-11, and rapper Immortal Technique, who is angry about the way black people and other minorities are disrespected by cops and others.Jake meets Richie, who raises homing pigeons with his father Cruz, who is serving in Iraq. They become friends, and Jake also develops a relationship with Richie's mother Tina, who explains that her husband was killed but Richie doesn't know it.Soon Jake is learning about the protests and those who are participating, including one group that wears masks so its members will be anonymous. While Jake believes he is doing good, BCN and its president of programming Bob Kramer, who was once a journalist but now considers himself a businessman interested in his company's success, want to help Homeland Security keep track of potential terrorists.The ending is pretty amazing if disturbing.If you are a Bush-Cheney supporter who believes in conservative values, this movie may not be for you. The conservative point of view is presented but mostly to be ridiculed or criticized. Those who served in the military are respected and praised, but why they were serving is another matter.Of course the protesters are more than just lazy people looking for an excuse to make trouble as some of the conservatives think. But they are working hard to take a stand and drive change. If they were lazy they'd just back down from all the adversity. Rosario Dawson does a great job as a mother who is trying to cope and seems reasonably happy considering her circumstances. And she is pushing her son to be more than she is.Nathan Crooker does a good job as an idealistic journalist.The real stars of the movie are the ordinary people. Most appear to be merely actors but they come across as more. And there is a lot of what appears to be real footage.And of course the convention itself was real. According to this movie, though, Bush didn't speak at night, but I guess that's a minor criticism. Maybe it wasn't safe to film that part of the powerful climactic scene during the day. There is some violence, but it's not too bad. I'm so glad I saw this movie cleaned up for TV, because the sound went out a lot.It's not what we would like to see, and it's not necessarily the truth, but it's what we need to see. If only to make us think.

1)Many of them are probably connected to THIS REVOLUTION director Stephen Marshall, who made the unusual effort to provide the summary for his own movie at IMDb. If you look at Marshall's seven directing credits in the three years prior to THIS REVOLUTION, it all sounds like student projects or public access channel filler. The quickest illustration of how sophomoric Marshall's thinking remains can be found in his summary for this film, in which he refers to Rosario Dawson's character as "Seven," an apparent "Black Bloc" code name evidently cut from the finished film. If this is the case, Marshall should have edited his earlier pre-release summary and put in her correct character name, "Tina Santiago." It is the director's lack of an eye for continuity, consistency, and details that sabotages what could have been an interesting film. (Viewers of the "Behind the Scenes" extra on the DVD will clearly see Marshall tried his darnedest to "dumb down" the cast and rest of the crew to his own level.)2)Back when the so-called "best" comments (by people rating THIS REVOLUTION between "7" and "10" on a 10-point scale) were written, I'm sure these same folks would have giving FAHRENHEIT 9-11 director Michael Moore a "9" for farting--or even 10, if it was an especially loud and odorous one! I dare anyone to view THIS REVOLUTION for the first time tomorrow and give it an 8, 9, or 10 with a straight face!

Produced entirely within 100 days, funded on a shoestring budget, featuring no big name actors and only a handful of B-list celebrities, and as director Stephen Marshall's first attempt at fiction (or docu-drama if you prefer), This Revolution is still a standout. Our protagonist Jake is a well written character who I absolutely hate - he's the guy we all know that espouses radical beliefs and anti-establishment rhetoric while collecting a corporate paycheck and seeing the world on their dime. His recent trip to Iraq was only the opening stage of his awakening - through the course of the story he slowly realizes the absurdity of his situation and the full extent of the exploitation he suffers at the hands of his employers. His ultimate rejection of the corporate culture and his final act of rebellion against his former employers are like the middle finger to big business that all of us secretly wish we could hoist into the air. Most of the acting is shaky - understandable since most of the actors aren't, well, actors - but the incredible performances by Rosario Dawson and Immortal Technique justify the price of admission or the DVD. Ultimately, the docu-drama idea isn't quite as well executed as the classic Medium Cool, but the backdrop of the RNC protests are a very rich and colorful setting for the fictional events. I was happy to see all the footage of protesters that nobody else was willing to show me. Not Mr. Marshall's best work - I'd save that accord for his documentary BattleGround - but well worth watching on many levels.

Director Stephen Marshall is best known for his documentaries, including some that are Sundance winners. This is his first foray into fictional mainstream films, and it is a promising effort. I am mystified by some of the negativity I read here; granted, Marshall is no Costa-Gravas (yet), but I doubt even Costa-Gravas was Costa-Gravas in his first movie. Working under extreme deadline pressures with a cast of mostly unknowns and a limited budget, he has exemplified making lemonade out of lemons. Since many of his principals are non-actors, the fact that he gets good performances from them speaks well of his directing skills. He also has a painter's eye: there is one scene with Rosario Dawson and her fictional son, shot at sunset as they pretend to fly like the pigeons soaring around them, that is starkly beautiful. The street scenes pulse with life, no doubt because they are real. There are some amusing vignettes on the street that add piquancy to the mix. The modestly named rapper "Immortal Technique" has some interesting scenes, but for some puzzling reason appears to be identifying himself as black, when he is clearly hispanic. "Technique" also rips off the Brahms third symphony (third movement, trust me on this) for his rap, but no shoutouts to Johannes can be found in the credits to enhance his street-cred. I would like to see more character development, but given Marshall's background in documentaries this is not surprising. The motivation of some of the characters was hazy also, and anyone who has been to Times Square knows the big TV screens there are mute. But so what? These are minor issues, and he will learn. I saw the final cut at Sundance in January, and there was a large and enthusiastic crowd. Marshall spoke to us afterward, and came across very well. I look forward to more from this most interesting young director.