‘Everything you grew was their property…’
Everyone loves to see the little guy topple the Man. There are various movies chronicling one man’s courtroom struggle against huge corporations. Dark Waters, Eric Brockovich and pretty much any John Grisham adaptation to name but three. So, to make one of these movies pop, the audience have to really connect with the characters because ultimately, we’ve all seen this movie a bunch of times before. Luckily, director Clark Johnson and his talented cast are pretty irresistible…
Percy Schmeiser (Christopher Walken) is a Canadian farmer who takes on the huge agricultural behemoth Monsanto over a $5000 settlement. He enlists rookie lawyer Jackson Weaver (Zach Braff) and passionate activist Rebecca Salcau (Christina Ricci) to help him attempt to win his case and protect his family.
A simple story then, and one told without bells nor whistles, but rather a light touch that recalls Clint Eastwood at his most palatable. Braff utterly shines in a rare serious role and Ricci is as enthralling as ever. Walken steals the show however as the eponymous protagonist in an uncharacteristically reserved and understated performance from an actor who has nothing left to prove.
Percy vs Goliath is not a ground-breaking film and the sentimental conclusion is perhaps a little too dewy-eyed, but overall it’s hard not to get caught up in the whole thing, and really? Why wouldn’t you want to?