‘Snowden’ A Captivating Look at this Intriguing Man

Snowden is the first time audiences will get an in depth look at this man who risked everything

I have been following the career of Joseph Gordon Levitt for many years now. I really liked him on Third Rock from the Sun, and he has only grown as an actor as he continues to challenge himself. He was amazing in The Walk where he worked hard to make that role amazing. Now he has decided to take on playing one of the most infamous men in recent years in Snowden. I was lucky to see it earlier this week and here is what I thought of it.

You can read the plot for Snowden here:

Disillusioned with the intelligence community, top contractor Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) leaves his job at the National Security Agency. He now knows that a virtual mountain of data is being assembled to track all forms of digital communication — not just from foreign governments and terrorist groups, but from ordinary Americans. When Snowden decides to leak this classified information, he becomes a traitor to some, a hero to others and a fugitive from the law.

I liked Snowden, but I had a few issues with it. For starters it is a dramatization in the most extreme sense of the word. There is also a huge lead up to this guy telling his story, but once it finally happens it is alright but not as amazing as I thought it would be.

Yet Snowden is not a terrible film.  Joseph Gordon Levitt does an excellent job playing Edward Snowden. This is a man who is multi-faceted and Joseph tackles all of these aspects very well. He was so good that Snowden’s own parents thanked him for playing their son in this movie. I really liked Nicholas Cage as Hank Forrester, a professor who takes an early interest in this person. He is funny, silly at times but when the scene calls for it he can be deathly serious.

Zachary Quinto does a splendid job playing Glenn Greenwald, one of the journalists who helped bring Snowden’s story to the public. It was nice to see him play something different and push himself as an actor with this role. This film does a pretty good telling the more human side of Edward Snowden and why he chose to do what he did. If you want to learn more about this movie head over to this website.

Snowden gets 6/10. It is not the best film Oliver Stone has ever made, but it was not awful either. It has some good parts and some that come off as unoriginal. The ending was alright but I wonder if there were others ways to end this film that could have felt more satisfying. Overall it does its best to tell a recent story from an entirely different perspective. Not everybody will like but there are plenty of people who will at least enjoy it.

Snowden is out now. You can follow Snowden on Facebook and Twitter.

Watch the dramatic trailer below: