4 stars (out of 5)
Director: Trish Dolman
Cast: Paul Watson, Patrick Moore, Rex Weyler, Robert Hunter, Emily Hunter, Farley Mowat, Anthony Kiedis, Martin Sheen.
Rating: (E)
Since Paul Watson emerged as the loose unit within Greenpeace, he has polarised those at the heart of environmental conservation.
Trish Dolman's meticulously constructed documentary is a rip-roaring tale of shenanigans within the world of ecological activism. It is a reverential portrait of Watson, a name synonymous with daredevil stoushes in the Southern Ocean with Sea Shepherd. Dolman wisely balances "the legend" with a frank assessment of Watson's megalomania.
From Greenpeace's early days as a rag-tag bunch of Canadian activists on a yacht, cameras have been ubiquitous. Dolman is blessed with some startling, gut-wrenching and despicable visual material with which to frame Watson's confrontational methods.
He is portrayed as a man driven to great lengths by his convictions, but seduced by a narcissistic role as Captain Badass.
He courts the Los Angeles glitterati one minute and captains a motley crew of vigilante vegans the next. His complex personality is revealed through interviews with friends and foes alike.
Curiously, Eco-Pirate fails to find room for Pete Bethune. The ramming of the Bethune-piloted Ady Gill leaves more questions than answers.
No matter where you stand on Watson's confrontational brand of environmental activism, Eco-Pirate is a gripping yarn about a man consumed with saving the world's oceans.
Best thing: The excellent use of archive footage; profoundly moving.
Worst thing: Failing to address the fall-out with Bethune.
See it with: Anyone who defends Japan's right to conduct whaling "research".
- Mark Orton
