Director Oliver Stone is a notorious cinematic
trouble-maker. Helming films like ‘JFK’, ‘Natural Born Killers’, ‘Nixon’
and ‘W’, his penchant for stirring pots is well known. Whatever his
agenda, his movies have been fascinating with the questions posed
lingering. ‘Snowden’ is the latest enabling audience’s brains to
tick. Having much in common with its independently minded subject, Stone
successfully teases out the intrigue following Snowden with which he would
certainly relate.
An employee of the American CIA, Edward Snowden (Joseph
Gordon-Levitt) is a hard worker moving up the ranks. Gradually
disillusioned with what he sees, he decides to leak sensitive security information
to a major British newspaper. Revealing many secret global surveillance
programs with ties to the highest levels of government, Snowden’s actions make
him a wanted man. Events spiral out of control with his life in peril
from those angered at his treasonous actions.
Whether you agree with Snowden’s actions or not, the film
effectively explores why he did them. ‘Snowden’ shows how his ethical
moral compass was shaken by the dubious politics involved in surveillance and
military operations. Resulting in death and loss of privacy, the ways of high
ranking employers needled Snowden’s sense of personal right and wrong.
Although we’re seeing just one side of the argument, Stone knows how to tell a
compelling narrative to allow the viewer to understand events.
None of this would work without some fine
performances. Gordon-Levitt adds to his solid thespian credentials as a
man torn between duty to his country and his beliefs. You feel the
conflicting emotions via Gordon-Levitt’s acting, making it easy to become
involved. Whilst occasionally Stone directs with heavy handedness making
the pace slacken, he injects passion into the story. Helped by a strong
ensemble cast with a continually tense atmosphere, he delivers one of his
better films of recent times.
‘Snowden’ will no doubt be as controversial as Stone’s other
works. His reputation as a silver screen ratbag is still intact with his
latest making Snowden an unusual hero. It’s an interesting movie deftly
venturing into the ways of government shenanigans where truth is often not what
it seems.
Movie Review Rating out of 10: 7
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
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