Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Alicia Vikander
Attending a computing expo in Berlin, Daniel Berg (Brühl) meets Julian Assange (Cumberbatch) an Australian hacker and political activist, who runs a site known as WikiLeaks that leaks confidential information about governments and organisations that it feels should be known by the wider public. Assane and Berg become collaborators, eventually taking on the US government but Berg soon becomes wary of Assange's dogged determination and all-consuming obsession for his ideals.
The stories of Julian Assange and his site, WikiLeaks, are continuing to unfold and already we're getting some big screen treatments of the unfolding news. Earlier this year, we had We Steal Secrets; a feature-length documentary on Assange and WikiLeaks. Now we're being given the theatrical film treatment. As such, being from such a fresh source of inspiration, The Fith Estate lacks the solid story that history could provide. The film doesn't so much conclude as it does take us to the here and now. The film also has its moments of over-stylisation; one early sequence dramatises an online conversation between Assange and Berg eith reflected lines of text that really comes off as more annoying than impressive. Still, their are moments of this slickness that impress and the hip score by the usually impressive and eclectic Carter Burwell is a highlight (especially a rate outing for the thoroughly-80's instrument, the fretless bass guitar).
Bill Condon has made a career out of movies that peer into the lives of rather eccentric public figures. In 1998, his film Gods And Monsters took a look at James Whale, director of Frankenstein (1931) and Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) as well as one of the few openly gay men in 30's Hollywood. Kinsey (2004) looked at Alfred Kinsey, the controversial sexologist. Here, Condon's fascination falls on Julian Assange, even of it could be argued that Daniel Berg is the central figure. Benedict Cumberbatch brings a slightly ethereal strangeness to the WikiLeaks founder who seems to be portrayed as a man of firm principles but not of particularly great social skills (at one point, Assange mentions that he might be borderline autistic) and whilst he could be, on a certain level, admirable, he's not really likeable. Is the film a smear campaign on Assange? Not as such, even though it doesn't paint him in a very favourable light. Yet, for all the film's strengths, there's still the sense that this film probably should've been made after the current events have been left to settle.
Next time, Tom Hanks stars as the captain of a cargo ship overrun by Somali pirates in Captain Phillips.
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