Christopher Walken in Percy vs Goliath. In cinemas now.
This inspirational drama tells the true story of a Canadian farmer who took on an agrochemical giant.
The great Christopher Walken stars as Percy Schmeiser, an aging Saskatchewan canola farmer who is sued by huge multinational Monsanto when they discover he has some of their patented genetically modified seeds growing
in his field.
Expected to simply pay a nominal settlement, Percy doesn't like being accused of stealing seeds, so he pushes back with the help of a lawyer played by Zach Braff. But Monsanto has deep pockets and expensive lawyers so Percy keeps losing in court. Anti-GMO campaigners - represented by an activist played by Christina Ricci - latch on to his cause and help him gain support and funding, but the fight begins to take a personal toll on Percy and his loved ones, and he must face the likely prospect that he'll lose everything.
Alternately evoking both Erin Brokovich and The Castle, Percy Vs Goliath tells you what kind of story it's going to tell with its title, and the film lives very much lives up to that. There is power in this tale of a principled man who won't back down in the face of what becomes an increasingly sisyphean fight.
