SNOWDEN ■ A cautionary tale
The problem with fictionalised retellings of real-life events, particularly events that are in recent history, is there’s very little room for dramatic tension. Despite assembling an ensemble cast and working off a decent script, writer/director Oliver Stone can’t really build up a whole lot of dramatic tension in a tale that’s still quite familiar to audiences. Joseph Gordon Levitt, in particular, owns the role of Edward Snowden: an NSA analyst turned whistle-blower.
It’s just tricky to be shocked or surprised by a story that was and, in some ways, still is a big part of the public discourse. In classic Stone fashion, the running time is about half an hour too long, and despite a nonlinear approach to storytelling, SNOWDEN doesn’t have a whole lot to add to the public debate surrounding Edward Snowden’s actions. For instance, there are people out there who side with the government’s stance that Snowden is a traitor, and others who believe he’s a hero.
Stone has determined that Snowden is a champion of free speech and the people, but while the writer of this review may agree with that perspective, sticking exclusively to this perspective doesn’t do the movie any favours in terms of inspiring debate or creating tension. SNOWDEN becomes, instead, a modern parable of sorts, reminding us of the unfortunate state of the world, and how little trust governments seem to have in the populations they govern. The left-field ending is in some ways a nice touch, but it also feels out of place, as Stone throws in a casting curve ball that’s supposed to hammer the point home, but isn’t able to do so as effectively as Snowden documentary CITIZENFOUR.
In fact, if you’ve seen CITIZENFOUR, there’s very little reason to watch SNOWDEN, unless you’re a particularly big fan of the talent involved. It’s by no means a terrible movie, but nor does it need to exist
★★★½ STARS ■ M ■ 139mins