Snowden

Year: 2016

Genre: Drama

Directed: Oliver Stone

Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Rhys Ifans, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Keith Stanfield, Scott Eastwood, Timothy Olyphant, Ben Schnetzer, Nicolas Cage

Production: Endgame Entertainment

In many ways an Edward Snowden dramatization of some kind, directed by Oliver Stone was inevitable. Even if on the off chance Universal or some other company was working on a sleek, risk-less enterprise directed by some artless hack, Oliver Stone still would have pounced on the movie rights to this story even if he had to do a Capote (2005) Vs. Infamous (2006) to do it. I'm sure there will be others detailing the exploits of NSA contractor turned espionage pariah Edward Snowden, but for now the filmmaker behind World Trade Center (2006), W. (2008) and JFK (1991) has our undivided attention.

"You'll get this at the end of class."

At 28-years-old, Edward Joseph Snowden (Gordon-Levitt) was a top computer systems administrator for Booz Allen Hamilton; a consulting firm running interference for the CIA and NSA. Before then he was a top CIA cyber-security expert and self-proclaimed "computer wizard;" skills he first exhibited during his CIA training in Langley, VA. At 29-years-old, everything Snowden had worked for suddenly evaporated; gone in a calculated effort to expose a vast network of surveillance programs run by the NSA in cooperation with multiple telecommunications companies. He was also, a fugitive on the run from the United States government. That was in 2013. At the time, Snowden's actions were (and as of this writing still are) the largest unauthorized government leaks in history. Today he resides in Russia which has granted him asylum for the time being.

Politics aside, Snowden as a movie leaves much to be desired. Director Oliver Stone employs the same frenzied collage format that made JFK such an unnerving conspiratorial experience. Yet while that very bold, very Stone-esque directorial choice does its job evoking a feeling of unease and distrust, it's wholly unnecessary here. It never matches the straightforward story nor the temperament of the lead character but only seems to give the non-linear narrative a false sense of unpredictability. It never seems to match the tone at all especially given that we largely know how the story is going to end. The film swings wildly like a boozy zealot screaming from a park bench on a calm Sunday afternoon. Stone seems to want to make a film in the vein of The Fifth Estate (2013) but gets caught up on over-explaining computer jargon and propping up blackhat strawmen to beat down. At times it feels much more about him than his subject.

I'm an adult dammit!

It's a shame too because Joseph Gordon-Levitt turns in an absolutely tremendous performance as our lead. Gordon-Levitt is one of those unfortunate actors that suffer from what I like to call DiCaprio Syndrome. No matter how much he stretches and molds into a role, I still only see the good-natured actor underneath. I won't go so far as to say he completely encapsulates the role but his instincts as a cautious and cloistered computer geek turned traitor prove that he's more than just a pretty face.

Likewise Shailene Woodley largely succeeds in thanklessly rummaging what little she could of a psychology-free character i.e. Snowden's longtime paramour Lindsay Mills. As an actress she's a charming and likable ingenue and has managed to not only impress but wow in everything from weighty dramas to mindless franchise dribble. Frankly playing the sidelined girlfriend is beneath her abilities.

Snowden is a sloppy, witless political thriller whose clumsy treatment of its subject matter may have been confused back in the day as a Frank Capra-level working-stiff hagiography. One which elevates the action of one man that can "stop the motor of the world" and whose actions are saintly within a certain context. In today's day and age however, it can be assumed audiences can be trusted with complexity. Anyone looking for cheer-leading and choir-preaching should look out for Snowden; otherwise watch the documentary Citizenfour (2014) instead.

Final Grade: D