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The Sunday Telegraph, p184, September 26, 1999
It became the longest court case in Britain and, for McDonald's, a major public-relations disaster. And watching this very adroit documentary about the McLibel suit is an inspiring event. David and Ms David (alias David Morris and Helen Steel) take on the Goliath of international corporations - and their barristers and lawyers, too. Driven only by their own sense of moral rectitude, they fought back when McDonald's - unwisely, as it turns out - sued them for distributing a pamphlet accusing the organisation of being anti-union, of manipulating children through advertising, of paying workers low wages and of cruelty to animals. It could have been a dour account of a couple of Greenies versus the world, but Morris, an unemployed single father, and Steel, a part-time bar worker, come across as ordinary, likeable people. But they were imbued with a sense of justice. 'They can't do that' was their catchery when McDonald's tried to silence their leaflet. Against all advice, they decided to defend themselves against the best legal brains McDonald's could assemble. A marvellous experience, and one that probably should have been screened at peak hour on a major television channel. But corporate international giants rarely take on one another. It's just the small people of this world who make good victims. This is a well-made account of British justice at work (even if the outcome was less than actual justice). You should see it, and take your children to see it. **** (Four stars out of five. Other reviews this week. Deep Blue Sea: 2 stars, The Haunting: 1 star, Erskinville Kings 3 stars)
My Name Is Joe; It All Starts Today; McLibel; American Pie; Two Hands; Go.
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