No Subtlety in This Polluted ‘Town’

“Enough is enough!”

That’s the refrain of the activists in “Taking Back Our Town,” a movie (9 p.m. Lifetime) based on the true story of the neighborhood women who battled a big corporation planning to build a petrochemical plant in their already polluted Louisiana parish during the late 1990s. It also suggests the central questions posed by the filmmakers: How much can people stand before standing up--or backing down?

Laura Innes and Ruby Dee star as Pat Melancon and Emelda West, a sort of tag-team Erin Brockovich leading the longshot campaign against a Japanese conglomerate.

Innes, whose nurturing and unflinchingly conscientious Melancon is a far cry from her often conniving Dr. Weaver on “ER,” and the venerable Dee, who plays the self-avowed loud and feisty one, never let their characters become mere types.

Chris Bauer, who plays a cop’s slovenly husband on the series “Third Watch,” also brings believability to the role of Melancon’s conflicted hubby, a union man who fears his wife’s struggle could harm not just his family but also his impoverished town, where unemployment hits 60%.

Despite its fine cast, don’t expect too much finesse or subtlety from this film, which was directed by Sam Pillsbury from a script by Monte Stettin and Susanna Styron & Bridget Terry. The message--fight the good fight no matter the odds--could have been delivered with less speechifying.

And the intimidation tactics the women face--anonymous calls, hostile headlights in the rear-view mirror--are the usual: Either the real-life bad guys or the filmmakers have seen “Silkwood” and other movies of this ilk.

But if you’re looking for straightforward, thoughtful and, above all, finely acted entertainment, “Taking Back Our Town” offers more than enough.