Tinker, traitor,
(Cert 15; 134mins)
WAS whistleblower Edward Snowden a patriot or a traitor? Should we applaud his brave actions or condemn him as an enemy of the state? Oliver Stone’s satisfying, old-fashioned biopic Snowden makes a convincing case that he acted with the best of intentions and it features a committed performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt who works hard to bring Snowden alive.
Stone has something of a reputation for finding sinister conspiracy theories in American politics.
Snowden plays straight into all his fears, suggesting that privacy is an impossible concept in an age of satellites, drones, identity theft and fiendishly clever hackers. A Big Brother state is a reality rather than a fantasy.
The film opens in Hong Kong in 2013 as Snowden prowls his hotel room like a caged animal. He is joined by documentary film-maker Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo) and journalists Glenn Greenwald (Zachary Quinto) and Ewen MacAskill (Tom Wilkinson with a thick Scottish accent).
Snowden has decided to spill the beans on the way the American government has covertly kept tabs on its own citizens and its closest allies.
A series of flashbacks chart Snowden’s journey from someone who was eager to serve his country to someone who is prepared to betray it. Snowden served in the army and was recruited by the CIA where his brilliant mind made him a figure of immense promise.
Rhys Ifans is on silky smooth form as Snowden’s implacable CIA mentor Corbin O’Brian, a man for whom the end always justifies the means.
Snowden’s cloak-and-dagger activities are the stuff of John le Carré’s fiction. His work for the National Security Agency gives him access to a whole world of information about the way cyberspace has become the new battleground in international espionage.
His growing doubts about what he is asked to do are mirrored in his relationship with girlfriend Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley) who prods at his conscience but can never know the details of what he is ordered to do in the name of his country.
The film is directed with all the craft and experience of a veteran and Stone employs a strong cast which includes Joely Richardson as Guardian editor Janine Gibson and a nice turn from Nicolas Cage as a weary CIA analyst.
However, in the end the film rests on the shoulders of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who captures a sense of Snowden as an earnest, principled young man. He nails the voice and mannerisms and makes Snowden a boy scout figure who believed in truth, justice and freedom and was shocked to discover his country treated those values in such a cavalier manner.
Ultimately, Snowden makes you understand why he felt that there was no choice but to risk everything and let the world know the truth.