Snowden (2016)
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A CIA subcontractor becomes a whistleblower after discovering the extent of illegal mass surveillance by the NSA.
The story
In 2013, Edward Snowden arranges a clandestine meeting in Hong Kong with documentarian Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald to discuss releasing classified information regarding illegal mass surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA). The film explores Snowden's background, beginning with his 2004 enlistment in the U.S. Army and his subsequent screening for a position at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). After being educated on cyberwarfare and tasked with building covert communications networks, Snowden begins to question the ethical implications of his work, eventually leading to his decision to leak the sensitive data.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2013, Edward Snowden meets with Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald in Hong Kong to discuss leaking classified information about NSA mass surveillance. The narrative flashes back to 2004, showing Snowden's military training and his subsequent hiring by the CIA, where he is trained in cyberwarfare. While working for the CIA in Geneva, he begins to question the ethics of their surveillance operations. He later joins the NSA in Japan, where he learns of 'Epic Shelter,' a program that allows the U.S. to plant malware in allied countries' infrastructure. This job causes a rift in his relationship with his girlfriend, Lindsay Mills. After returning to Maryland and consulting for the CIA, Snowden discovers that Epic Shelter is being used to assist drone pilots in lethal strikes in Pakistan. Disillusioned, he smuggles a microSD card out of his office using a Rubik's Cube. He coordinates with Poitras, Greenwald, and journalist Ewen MacAskill to leak the data on June 5, 2013. Snowden is smuggled out of Hong Kong to Russia, where his passport is revoked, forcing him to remain in Moscow. He is eventually granted asylum for three years, with Mills joining him later. The film concludes with news headlines detailing the reforms resulting from his actions.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 134
- Production countries
- France; Germany; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Oliver Stone
- Writers
- Kieran Fitzgerald · screenplay; Oliver Stone · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt · Edward Snowden; Shailene Woodley · Lindsay Mills; Melissa Leo · Laura Poitras; Zachary Quinto · Glenn Greenwald; Tom Wilkinson · Ewen MacAskill; Scott Eastwood · Trevor James; Logan Marshall-Green · Drone Pilot/"Catfish"; Timothy Olyphant · CIA officer Geneva
- Genres
- biographical; thriller; war
- Themes
- surveillance; whistleblowing; ethics; technology and democracy
- Tone and mood
- thrilling; biographical
- Setting
- Various locations including Hong Kong, the United States (Virginia, Maryland, Hawaii, Washington, D.C.), Geneva, Japan, and Moscow during the 2000s and 2010s.
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; political thriller; spy; hacking
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Snowden Files (2014) by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus (2015) by Anatoly Kucherena
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance but criticized Oliver Stone's direction. It grossed $37.3 million worldwide against its $40 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 61% · review count: 257; Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 43
- Production trivia
- Oliver Stone met Edward Snowden multiple times in Moscow.; Joseph Gordon-Levitt pledged to donate his entire salary from the film to help facilitate the conversation about the relationship between technology and democracy.; The house used to film in Hawaii is on the same street Snowden lived on.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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