What Atkinson sought out to do, he delivers on. Do Not Resist presents a fantastic look at a world many of us may not know about: the world of police militarization. Undoubtedly a magnet for criticism from those in political opposition, the film features recorded hearings and comments from politicians we know well, and it is impossible to proclaim bias as a simple fact check yields truth. You may gasp, you may cry, you may rise to anger or frustration...and that's the point. To evoke a response and demand attention to a disturbing issue taking place in the U.S. This film is by no means anti-cop. It is anti-militarization, and Atkinson tries to express that through the voices of former police officers who voice their concerns and discomfort with the use of armored vehicles and heavy artillery to address peaceful protests.Some of the shots are pretty impressive and the cinematography is wonderfully inventive for clips taken from the streets and chambers. Check the film out before making any premature assumptions, you just might learn something...I know I did.

Being Dutch I am not really used to violence of inner cities. I think SWAT Teams and tactical teams are for Hollywood movies and series. I am mistaken.This documentary show how ridiculous Americans are and how they are now militarizing their police. How some think its a good idea to rule the masses with armored vehicles and war-materials. It is already ridiculous what types of weapons police are using, but to go this far can only mean that there is some sort of master plan for the USA, that they foresee rebellion and uprising.The documentary is a real jaw-dropper and gives good insight in the mindset of politicians and civilians.

My introduction to this documentary was the trailer "Official trailer 1" on Youtube. Prior to seeing that I had no knowledge of this filmI feel like the pace, and editing of the trailer is far more direct and purposeful than that of the film itself. I found the introduction of this film a very slow start and through the first 15-20 minutes of this I questioned if I wanted to continue watching the movie.I found that lack of any narrative and general laid-back approach to introducing the movie within the first 15-20 minutes off-putting and weak. It isn't until after first 20 minutes that we get to the message of the documentary aside from "riots are bad". I found the lack of any direct interview footage for the first 25 minutes of the film a poor choice, as as the film nears it's end some of the interviews are the strongest asset of the movie.It's clear that there was a intentional and conscious decision to try to balance and intercut all informational footage with action scenes/task force and protest footage, which is fine for keeping things interesting, but it gets repetitive and uninteresting as it loses it's punch of the message. I feel like just a simple re-edit of this movie would really deliver a much stronger punch of "yes the army are actually giving away for free their mostly unused military equipment to the police force without any training" and yes "these novice officers are mostly misusing this military equipment for riots suppression and fear tactics where they are not actually allowed to do so."I found the interviews and court-room footage, far more powerful than the constant need to keep standing around and watching the black lives matters protests. I absolutely understand that the Missouri and Mike Brown riots/protests are a big deal, but really I found most of it lacked any real purpose or direction in terms of storytelling.I do recommend this documentary as it really does have something to say, especially towards the end, and there's lots of factual and informational footage buried in this movie, sadly I feel that it loses it's place as a must see documentary just because of how haphazardly it tries to find it's footing as a documentary with a message, especially for the first half.

Do Not Resist is actually several films, as the narrative unwinds on the truth of police militarization, training, and the future of policing with 24 hour aerial surveillance and the ability to track movements. It is surprising how much is contained in barely over an hour. From Ferguson, where a line of armored vehicles approaches a protest line, to the deep south, and preparations for a SWAT raid. A dealer is confirmed at the house, and "we" expect a serious haul. But no, afterward we are told that such raids are "50-50;" a thorough search only a little personal use pot is discovered in a book bag. To small town New England, where the city council debates a "free" armored vehicle from surplus military stockpiles, and then to the surplus vehicle boneyard. A Senate Hearing room. A SWAT "convention" in Florida, and a training seminar with Dave Grossman. He promises a crowded room of police that the best sex they'll ever have is on their most violent days on the job. An airplane over Baltimore, tracking every vehicle and pedestrian in real time downloads to police. There's so much, ultimately too much, to easily process it all; the ultimate lesson is that the venue of a particular police action doesn't matter. This is how modern American police train and act.Surprisingly, filmmaker Craig Atkinson does not provide any narrative. The real people on the screen are the entire narration. The transitions are not particularly smooth, and the film packs so much into 72 minutes that I wonder how complete it is. There is no judgment, just reporting in their own words. It turns into a compelling story. It is easy to see why it won Best Documentary at Tribeca.