Under this strategy, documentary footage is an invaluable tool that can be widely dispensed propaganda-style, and that’s where Brown hopes to succeed. In a war fought with images through the scope of the media, it’s the video of Canadian hunters clubbing seals to death that’s meant to be the shot not heard, but seen ‘round the world. It’s the appalling sight of the Faroe Islanders slaughtering a pod of herded Pilot whales in a ritual bloodbath of a hunt, turning their harbor a shade of dark crimson, that’s meant to win converts to the cause and to awaken foot soldiers everywhere.
     The militant nature of the struggle is a potential problem, though, when it comes to winning public support or the endorsement of other like-minded organizations. (Greenpeace, for example, long ago broke ranks with the Sea Shepherd Society for the kind of practices shown in the film). In one memorable case, Brown’s camera follows the Sea Shepherd crew in a confrontation with the Norwegian navy that nearly escalates into an international incident. Property is often damaged and the safety of persons both with and against the Society is continually put at risk. Legal it is not, though the legal standing of the hunting and fishing targets themselves is often ambiguous and occasionally non-existent.
     It’s no wonder that Brown and his friends are tagged as vigilantes or pirates, and in defiance the Society flaunts a skull and crossbones flag on its ships. But it appears that Watson draws the line at “terrorist.” The Sea Shepherd leader was unable to lend his support to “Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist,” because he didn’t approve of Brown’s self-description and what it might imply about his own role. This happens to ignore the fact that Brown uses the label ironically.