'Snowden' Cool and Compelling

A genius of geniuses, a computer hacker, and a defiant government rebel. An unexpected romantic, an epileptic, and a moral human being. The former list is perhaps the perception of Edward Snowden as viewers have seen in media until now; Oliver Stone’s “Snowden” presents the latter image and attempts to bridge the gap between the two seemingly exclusive personas. Based on the books “The Snowden Files” by Luke Harding and “Time of the Octopus” by Anatoly Kucherena, “Snowden” touches the fine line between propaganda and biography in a series of politically-charged thriller scenes that switch from his pre-leak personal life to the final moments before the release of his article in “The Guardian.”

However, “Snowden” is not explicit propaganda for its eponymous protagonist’s heroism or traitorship. A master of balancing cinematic discretion and controversy (as shown in his films “JFK” and “Platoon”), Oliver Stone takes many strides to provide the truth behind government surveillance and in doing so, also fills in the blanks of Snowden’s personal life so as to garner support for his ethical dilemma and subsequent decisions. The less-than-optimal portrayals of key government figures, Snowden's unwavering commitment to a morality based on constitutionality, and the interwoven romance and heartache are factual, but whether the inclusion of such information serves as relevant context or media-catered distraction from the central issue is less clear. Despite some information that arguably can be classified more as fluff than as substance, “Snowden” succeeds in telling a compelling story that risks being repetitive.

As this generation’s most famous (and perhaps the country’s most revered) whistleblower, Edward Snowden has become a household name—and Mr. Stone is well aware of our familiarity. Even before seeing the movie, we know the ending: the leak, the exodus, the controversy. This knowledge taints a substantial portion of the movie with dramatic irony. Following Snowden’s injury at Fort Benning in 2004 that precludes his active duty in the Special Forces, the doctor’s comforting words that “there are plenty of other ways to serve your country” seem like a set-up for the next decade of unwanted discoveries and moral quandaries. Snowden’s initial loyalty to his country—complete with CIA inspection and many utterances confirming that USA is indeed the best nation in the world—and simultaneous donning of a “I Support Online Rights” sticker on his laptop intentionally set a tone of tension and the context for future debate.

In efforts to appease his moral sensibilities after witnessing a CIA employee force a drunk Swiss banker to drive, Snowden resigns from his first position at the CIA in Geneva. Soon after, he leaves both the opulence of his life and his girlfriend for a hotel in Hong Kong—his refuge and embarking point for leaking classified information. And amid the tension and suspense, romance is Stone’s chosen mechanism for humanizing Snowden’s story. These interwoven scenes are not a novel technique, but they serve as a refreshing telling of Snowden’s story that keeps interest and a steady source of drama.

Playing the titular character, Joseph Gordon-Levitt adopts a deeper, slower voice and composed disposition that actually mimic Snowden’s own mannerisms (at least from what audiences have seen from limited interviews) quite well—he wears no trace of his usual quirky and hopelessly romantic persona. Still, Stone made a strategic move in capitalizing on Gordon-Levitt’s ability to deliver a convincing romance, but so much so that it arguably distracts from the core story. Shailene Woodley, removed from her usual teen romance or dystopian hero role, comes to screen as Snowden’s famed partner, Lindsay Mills, an eccentric, liberal artist who playfully challenges his staunch loyalty to his country. What their relationship does bring to the movie, however, is a refreshing sense of trust that is almost absent in the world of clandestine technological spying. Their differences in ideology lighten the film’s otherwise heavy political climate—their first kiss, according to Snowden, “tastes like a liberal.” The duo’s tear-jerking love story of separation and blind trust weaves in an empathetic connection to Snowden’s case, so by the time he releases the information to “The Guardian,” viewers see the life he has left behind to serve his part in justice and honesty.

At the film’s conclusion, Edward Snowden emerges content and without remorse from the Hawaiian headquarters of the CIA into a sea of blindingly bright light and clips of international rallies on Snowden’s behalf, with President Obama struggling to articulate an adequate response. These elements combined nudge the movie into the propaganda realm, but organically so—Stone’s purpose is to reveal the truth, and aside from some attention-grabbing diversions, “Snowden” does just that.