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Can He Save Us From Ourselves?

Paul Watson is a marine wildlife conservation and environmental activist who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-poaching group focused on marine conservation and activism.

In 1969 Watson attended a Sierra Club protest against nuclear testing. This led to a lifelong commitment and obsession to protect marine life that blossomed three years later when he became one of the founding members of Greenpeace. Through Greenpeace he ended up as the skipper of a boat dedicated to preventing the slaughter of whales.

Watson didn't quite fit in with the Greenpeace dedication to nonviolence when confronting the fishing ships that were slaughtering the whales. He believed that in order to succeed in their quest, physical confrontation was necessary. That belief led to Watson being tossed from the board in 1977, and he subsequently left the organization. It was then that he formed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Lesley Chilcott's "Watson" tells the activist’s story through a series of interviews with him, historical footage, and especially by showing the clashes between Watson's boats and the lawbreakers on the seas. It's sometimes exciting and frightening when you see what he and his group are doing. Other times it's thoughtful and reflective when Watson talks about his life.

The documentary is straightforward, much like Watson. I assume some might disagree with Watson's tactics, but it's difficult for me to understand why. You can’t help but at least admire his true belief and dedication to his cause. More than anything else, what I took from it was that I wish more people operated on principle rather than in search of personal gain. The world would be in much better shape.