Supriya Panjiyar Essays (1147 words) - Edward Snowden, Free Essays

Supriya Panjiyar Essays (1147 words) - Edward Snowden, Free Essays Supriya Panjiyar Professor Cherry English 1302-71016 21 October 2017 Snowden : Film Review Snowden starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley is a movie written and directed by Oliver Stone. Released on 16 September 2016, it grossed $21,587,519 all over USA initially having an approximate budget of $40,000,000. According to IMDb "The script is based on the books The Snowden Files, The inside story of the World's Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Antony Kucherena." The movie won the Satellite Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Bavarian Film Awards and Camerimage for Main Competition. The movie was shot in 24 different locations including Munich, Bavaria, Germany (studio), Hawaii, Hong Kong and Russia. A. O.Sott mentions that"Oliver Stone's "Snowden," a quiet, crisply drawn portrait of the world's most celebrated whistle-blower, belongs to a curious subgenre of movies about very recent historical events." The fact that the events shown in the movie happened recently and that the actual Snowden is still living in Russia makes the viewer more excited and the expectation about the movie gets higher. The movie starts with Edward J. Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) meeting two journalists Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo) and Glenn Greenwald (Zachary Quinto) in an airport in Hong Kong. The three of them go to a hotel room in Hong Kong and the story of Snowden begins. There he reveals that the Government is spying not only on foreign adversaries but also on millions of Americans via their emails, texts and telephone calls. The story takes the audiences back and forth to Snowden's life. He being an excellent programmer decides to join the CIA and the National Security Agent after his career ends in United States Army Rangers. He meets Corbien O'Brian Rhys Ifans in the CIA. Corbien gets really impressed with Snowden's programming techniques and hires him as a CIA. In the movie Corbien O'Brian stresses "Bombs won't stop terrorism, brains will, and we don't have nearly enough of those. I'm gonna give you a shot, Snowden." (Snowden). Although Snowden had a weak physique he was a r eally good programmer and that is what get him into CIA. Meanwhile, he meets Lindsey Mills (Shailene Woodley) through a dating website, they gradually fall in love with each other. The work of Snowden requires him to move a lot. Lindsey moves with Snowden. As Snowden starts working for CIA and gradually for the NSA he begins to know a lot of secrets which a normal citizen wouldn't know. His work starts stressing him which also harms his relationship with Lindsey. After figuring out that the government is not only spying on the terrorists and hostile regimes but also on the allies and everyday citizens, Snowden starts getting paranoid and that fact haunts him everywhere. He feels that his country's security depends on his hands which gets him so stressful to the point that he starts having seizures from epilepsy. Snowden then finally makes a decision and leaves Hawaii to travel to Hong Kong, where he makes the big revelation of the Government's activities to the press. Joseph Gordon Levitt has given a full justice to his character portraying himself as Snowden. Anna Hornaday stresses that Joseph Gordon-Levitt "has mastered Snowden's flat, affectless way of speaking." Likewise Shailene Woodley who plays as Snowden's love interest, Lindsey Mills in the movie has done an excellent job too. Her acting in the movie gives the movie a warm and lively sensation which is a change to the movie which basically has a serious plotline. The supporting cast members Rhys Ifans and Nicholas Cage have given their best to the movie too. According to T.A Moreland "One of the small but important role is that of Patrick Haynes, a computer genius and a Black man, played by Keith Steinfeild. Haynes, who speaks seven languages, is described by a collegue as the smartest man in the agency. And this character shows that brilliant, nerdy tech come in all colors."(1). The movie does not feel like it is losing its pace in any part. It keeps the audience excited on what is going to happen next. The setting in the movie keeps changing since it has been shot in 24 different