Snowden
Snowden

Snowden

2016Movie135 minEnglish

CIA employee Edward Snowden leaks thousands of classified documents to the press.

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Insights

IMDb6.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes59%
Metacritic55/100
Google Users64%
Director: Oliver StoneGenres: Biography, Drama, History, Thriller

Plot Summary

Edward Snowden, a computer intelligence specialist, becomes disillusioned with the U.S. government's surveillance programs. He leaks classified information to journalists, revealing the extent of global monitoring and sparking a worldwide debate on privacy and national security. The film chronicles his journey from a loyal intelligence officer to a fugitive whistleblower.

Critical Reception

Snowden received mixed to positive reviews, with critics often praising Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance and Oliver Stone's direction. While some found the film to be a compelling and timely thriller, others felt it lacked the depth and nuance to fully explore the complex ethical and political issues at its core. Audience reception was generally more favorable, appreciating its depiction of a significant contemporary event.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praises Joseph Gordon-Levitt's committed performance as the titular whistleblower.
  • Oliver Stone's direction is noted for bringing a sense of urgency and thriller elements to the complex subject matter.
  • Some critics found the film to be a straightforward, if somewhat conventional, telling of a significant modern event.

Google audience: Google users generally found the film to be an engaging and informative portrayal of Edward Snowden's story, with many appreciating its suspenseful narrative and the exploration of privacy concerns.

Fun Fact

During the filming of the documentary segments within the movie, the actual journalists who published Snowden's leaks, like Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill, played themselves.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

5 reviews
Filipe Manuel Neto

Filipe Manuel Ne...

**It's a forgettable film, with nothing remarkable about it other than the fact that it makes an open defense of Edward Snowden and what he did.** Oliver Stone has given us a film that could not be more controversial: a biography of Edwa...
GenerationofSwine

GenerationofSwin...

What happened to Oliver Stone? Once upon a time you could sit down and watch a film, and knew he was the director just by the cuts alone, not to mention the atmosphere and over-all look of the presentation. This doesn't look like an Oliv...
Frode Lindeijer

Frode Lindeijer

Although the movie is not perfect, it's flaws are limited, minute and easily ignored. **A must-watch for anyone using a computer!** This adaptation of Snowden's transformation from a talented programmer working for the United States secr...
David Perkins

David Perkins

JGL plays a pretty convincing Snowden or at least I think he does as I've only seen the real Snowden in video and Citizenfour. I don't know exactly how correct the movie is to the actual story but as most of these things go, the movie will ...
Reno

Reno

**He who became a people's hero by betraying his own nation!** I had like to begin by saying I'm not an American and I haven't seen the Oscar winning documentary 'Citizenfour'. But I'm very much aware of everything about it through the a...