Snowden (M). Director: Oliver Stone. Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Rhys Ifans, Nicholas Cage, Timothy Olyphant, Scott Eastwood. 139 minutes
Last year, Laura Poitras' documentary Citizenfour provided a fascinating insight into the revelations that two years previous had rattled the world. In June 2013 Poitras and The Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, both known for their work exposing government abuses of civil liberties in post-9/11 America, were summoned by an anonymous whistle-blower to a Hong Kong Hotel.
He turned out to be a young systems analyst named Edward Snowden, and his disclosures regarding the data-mining activities of the US government against its own citizens sparked a worldwide debate about security versus privacy that rages to this day. Poitras documented the moment of those revelations, and the diligent journalistic process by which the information was disseminated.
If Snowden's status as either a villain or a hero — a traitor, or the ultimate patriot, serving the best interests of his fellow citizens — remains a matter of debate in some circles, you won't die wondering in which camp Oliver Stone sits. In Snowden the famously didactic filmmaker posits an utterly sympathetic portrait within the structure of a lithe and gripping political thriller.
Co-written by Stone based on the books The Snowden Files by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena, the film opens with Greenwald (Quinto) and Poitras (Leo) waiting anxiously in the lobby of that Hong Kong hotel. Greenwald points out that they can only wait a few more minutes before they have to make themselves scarce, as per the whistle-blower's instructions.
Snowden (Gordon-Levitt) arrives, looking nervous as he singlehandedly twiddles a Rubix Cube; code words are exchanged, and he leads them upstairs to his room. The first order of business: to place his guests' mobile phones in the microwave, a precaution against prying virtual eyes. That the stakes are high, we are left in no doubt. Snowden introduces himself, and the historic moment is underway.
Stone firmly underlines the patriotic view of Snowden. In flashback we see Snowden training as a Special Forces soldier for the US Army, where his passion for the task is not matched by physical prowess. After a painful accident, he is discharged; the doctor who signs the papers assures the despondent young man that 'There are plenty of other ways to serve your country.'
Later, Snowden scoffs at anti Iraq War protestors for 'bagging his country'