Watch If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front For Free

Too much of everything

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

A so so documentary, I did enjoy finding out more about the ELF movement. However, I had a hard time relating to the main protagonist Daniel McGowan. He just was not a very interesting person, in fact I found him highly annoying.It's a pretty standard documentary. I did find some of the information informative, but I did not really see this film breaking any new ground. One thing that stuck in my mind was the idea that you are going to push peaceful protesters to do other things, when you remove their ability to peacefully protest. It was something I had been tossing around in my mind anyway, but this sort of provided a further example.Check out our full review at 3guys1movie.com

One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter is and old tired cliché but in this film that quote seems yet again to ring true.This doc explains why a group of environmentalists started to radicalize when they felt that corporations, police and politicians no longer listen to them.Their solution? Firebombing various facilities that according to them(later they found that some of their targets really didn't support harm to the environment, but actually the opposite)was posing a threat to the environment.This solution was extreme, and got the FBIs attention who started investigating their attacks. Slowly but surely FBI was closing the net but biggest question remained, was this domestic terrorism? And should it be viewed as domestic terrorism? For a viewer, like me, who never been involved in radical political organizations this film poses a lot of interesting questions, such as how far are you willing to go for your ideals? And also how easy is it to push idealistic youngsters to commit worse crimes then just illegal demonstrations, vandalism etc? It should be seen by anyone interested in why, how, people regardless of political views easily can be persuaded to commit crimes in order to get their agenda, message, across.So if you liked docs like Neverland: The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation Army (2004), The Weather Underground (2002),One Day in September (1999)etc then you should see this one.

"What to do when you're screaming out and no one wants to hear you?" I thought they would have learned the lesson in kindergarten.The eco-terrorists look to me like a bunch of spoiled rich brats who just want to have a tantrum, in this involving arson, because it seems no one wants to hear them.You know them - they're usually the kids in the classroom who are screaming out because they didn't get cake.Here's an idea. Go to a third-world country if you're so concerned and work with the villagers there.Going out and burning stuff down is just wrong. In that case, everyone should get a gun and start taking matters into their own hands. Now where would that lead us?

For a long time I've wondered if radical groups like the ELF are crucial to the causes they support because their tactics bring much-needed attention to the causes, or if they are detrimental because their tactics turn off many people who'd normally be sympathetic to their causes. This film reinforces for me that the answer is "yes" and "yes" -- i.e., "it depends" ... on the cause, on the specific tactics, and ultimately on personal points of view.IF A TREE FALLS added an interesting angle for me in this notion of the positive/negative net effect of radicalism. I had never thought about the impact of law enforcement's treatment of the radical groups -- i.e., do their tactics (brutal in many cases toward environmental protesters) help or hinder THEIR cause? As I watched the film, I wondered if there were disagreements about tactics/approaches within law enforcement akin to the disagreements within the ELF and the broader environmental activist community.And that's what makes this film so strong and effective. It prompts you to ask a lot of questions. IF A TREE FALLS does it in a way that is character driven. The broader story unfolds through the stories of individuals who were involved. The result is that you (the audience) get involved!I highly recommend the film. And like me, you may want to revisit THE THIN BLUE LINE and FIGHT CLUB after you see IF A TREE FALLS.