In Do Not Resist, the Richland County Sheriff's Department's Special Response Team conducts basic SWAT training.
There is little doubt that the future of policing looks terrifying. Military-grade equipment, hightened tension in the squad rooms and on the streets – it's a mess out there for anyone who happens to rub officers the wrong way, for whatever reason. Anyone who thinks otherwise simply needs to take a look at what's happened in Ferguson, Mo.; Indian Springs, Nev.; Phoenix; Cleveland; New York or a dozen other incidents of recent fatal police shootings. In a bid to understand why the system is so broken, first-time documentarian Craig Atkinson tracks the state of (American) unrest in Do Not Resist. But while Atkinson's intentions are good, his methods are shaky, resulting in a surface-skimming film that raises issues without ever approaching a solution. What's worse is his shaky narrative framing and rookie pacing, all of which undermine what is a deadly serious issue deserving of a polished and powerful dissection.
Barry Hertz