Snowden: Movie Review
Oliver Stone has given us some fantastic films. He is responsible for “Platoon”, “Talk Radio”, and “Wall Street”. The problem is that his best films in my opinion were all released in the 1980’s. I know 1994’s “Natural Born Killers” is a cult classic but from the 90’s through today, the filmmaker hasn’t delivered anything nearly on the same level as his earlier work. 2006’s “World Trade Center” was probably one of his best in years and his latest effort, “Snowden” is probably the best in decades.
Based on the real-life story of Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), “Snowden” tells the story of one man who exposed the NSA’s illegal surveillance activities to the world. Although he is considered a hero by many, he became one of the most wanted men in the world. We get to see how it all played out and learn just what one man was willing to sacrifice to do what he believed was the right thing for his country.
As the story begins, Edward meets secretly with journalists from The Guardian, Glenn Greenwald (Zachary Quinto), Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo), and Ewen MacAskill (Tom Wilkinson). Inside a hotel room with the shades closed and all cell phones placed in a microwave, he begins to tell his story. We jump back to his early days in the army, where he winds up breaking the bones in his legs, which gets him discharged.
Being a patriot, Edward knew he could only be happy serving his country. This led to him joining the CIA where he learned and served under Corbin O’Brian (Rhys Ifans). Around the same time, Edward met his girlfriend Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley). Although the two had very different political views, they couldn’t help falling for each other. However, as they grew closer, the strain of keeping secrets due to national security took a toll on the relationship.
When Edward was offered a job at an NSA facility in Hawaii, Lindsay agreed to go because she felt the change in climate and less stress may be good for his growing issue with epileptic seizures. However, the stress only grew when Edward realized that the NSA was doing some very bad things.
The real-life Edward Snowden has been charged with two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and has been living in Russia ever since. The United States wants to extradite him so he can face punishment. Oliver Stone is clearly on the side of Edward Snowden here and it’s hard not to feel the same way as the filmmaker. As you watch the film you feel the man did right by the citizens of this country even though the government disagrees. Yes, he committed treason but what the NSA did was so much worse and it needed to be exposed. Edward sacrificed his freedom, security, and family to shed light on the truth. I don’t know if this is Stone’s view or how much has been embellished to make a good film, but watching you want to root for they guy.
“Snowden” moves along pretty smoothly and features some terrific performances from Gordon-Levitt, Ifans, Woodley, and even Nicholas Cage in what I consider and extended cameo. For those of you who enjoy a good political-thriller, “Snowden” is worth checking out.
By: Marc Ferman