Oliver Stone films are not for everyone. They are divisive, complex, topical and dense. Sometimes they are packed with so much information that the sheer weight of the film bogs down on the viewer. Here, with Snowden, he makes his most accessible picture in years. It is a scary and relevant look at one of the greatest whistleblowers and / or one of the greatest turncoats in American history. Whatever side of the fence you’re on, it’s a great film.
Jospeh Gordon Levitt is great as Edward Snowden. He starts off as a quiet, mild mannered conservative high school dropout. He impresses the top brass at the CIA enough that he rises through the ranks rather quickly. All seems rather swell; a great job, a cute, intelligent sweetheart (Shailine Woodley) world travel as a CIA analyst. That is until he figures out that the higher levels of government are using intelligence to spy on the public. This he can’t stomach and decides to out his bosses to the press.
In true Stone fashion, the film is a mess. But a good mess. Oliver Stone has long been a filmmaker that operates out of passion. I don’t think he’s ever made a film that is “ tight” and this one is anything but. Snowden is a sprawling film that takes us from Washington D.C to Geneva to Hawaii, to Hong Kong and finally Russia. It’s peppered with bit parts with seasoned actors like Nicolas Cage, Melissa Leo, Tom Wilkinson, Zachery Quinto and a truly sinister Rhys Ifans as his CIA mentor. Watch for his God like interrogation of Snowden mid way through the film. A great Oliver Stone scene. The lensing is truly amazing. I give props to Anthony Dodd Mantle for some of his most beautiful and crisp camera work.
This is the kind of movie that will not appeal to the mass audiences. Shame because it’s a smart choice for a night out at the movies. We need filmmakers like Oliver Stone to highlight the world and get under the skin of what we think is normal. We may not agree but isn’t that the point — to question.
