A troop of soldiers-to-be is quickly trudging through the woods, mindlessly humming something along the lines of the undying Mickey Mouse March, echoing so eerily and uncannily during the last shots of Full Metal Jacket. They march in concert, occasionally crawling through mud, being mercilessly yelled at, actively becoming a tiny cog in the boundless mechanism. One of these rookies is soon going to turn the world upside down; but for now he is just wearily inspecting x-ray of his fractured leg - there is surely so much to come. But, unfortunately, not for this movie.
The modern revolutionary, the inconspicuous face behind the Guy Fawkes mask, the public's key to the darkest government secrets, Edward Snowden is portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Lewitt, who may have certainly caught your attention in Nolan's Inception as a smart-looking, sophisticated 'dream-catcher' and "thought-snatcher". Gordon-Lewitt also happens to bear a chilling resemblance to the modern swashbuckler and impersonates him well enough throughout the movie. However, this particular piece on cybersecurity, the fear of constantly being watched and the uneasiness of being disappointed in your beliefs and principles, is not convincing in the slightest and surely does not stand in the same line with many other works dedicated to Snowden's victories and hardships; Snowden (2016) seems artificial and downright tacky, especially when compared to true-to-life, realistic enough Citizenfour (2014).
The movie tries to tell the enchanting and enamoring story of how one single person can successfully fight against the terrifying machine. But I would be lying if I told you that this specific depiction has evoked any emotions in me, much less rage. Delectably tasteless, remarkably bleak and incredibly tiresome to follow: the plot is nothing less of a simple bore. The cinematographic style is likewise inconsistent and incomprehensible; some shots easily remind you of cheap music videos, while others try to express the character's feelings of perplexity and frustration, but succeed only in giving you an annoying headache. I did, however, recognize the barely visible influence of action-style filmmaking with the use of handheld cameras, that flourished so flamingly after the Danish Dogma 95 cinematic movement was formed and managed to stay in big cinema forever. You could imagine my surprise after learning that Anthony Dod Mantle himself, responsible for cinematography in Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Trier's Dogville (2003) and yes, Antichrist (2009), partook in the creation of Snowden (2016) too.
This rushed biopic, called for some reason 'a thriller' as well, inexplicably reminds of The Imitation Game (2014); the same blue and gray coloring, the same learning environment, the same atmosphere of a genius being born. But if The Imitation Game masterfully crafts a portrait of mysterious and immensely gifted Alan Turing, Snowden (2016) surely does not do justice to the real-life whistleblower. The latter comes out to be plain and one-dimensional, as if unable to feel any real emotions. Everything that surrounds the main character - from the make-believe NSA facilities to Snowden's menacing tutor as well as CIA Deputy Director (that 1984-mocking scene of him peering right into Snowden's soul surely did make me chuckle) to his life-size figure of a girlfriend, the setting does not seem to be believable, not even remotely.
Along with its countless gags and goofs inappropriate for a good hacker movie, Snowden (2016) makes rather for a nice laugh and nap, rather than a proper insightful story of a man who has hacked the government. No revolutionary spirit, no protest, no fight and awareness. Just a poorly done retelling of a unique story, with no eye-catching cinematography and futuristic editing to add.
5 suspiciously looking Rubik's cubes out of 10
5 suspiciously looking Rubik's cubes out of 10