"The Fifth Estate" is a thrilling, kinetic film which gives the viewer a (fairly one-sided) glimpse into the mind of one the most internet- and tech-savvy hacker/geniuses of the past decade, Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Using the revolutionary website that he founded, Wikileaks, Assange, with the help of a few others, including Daniel Berg (Daniel Bruhl), was able to expose classified, top-secret information to the general public. Whistleblowers would send in the information and Wikileaks would post it so the world could see. As the film portrays, major corporations like banks as well as government officials were brought down with the release of the secret info. The main question the film asks is at what expense can such data be released and how far is Assange willing to go to keep the mandate of the website alive when lives could easily be in jeopardy.
The film presents Assange as an egocentric, domineering, and reckless revolutionary who will do anything to get the information out there. Those around him are alarmed at his forceful nature and are often hesitant to perform the tasks that he masterminds. Cumberbatch does a terrific job as Assange and turns him into a multidimensional and surprisingly sympathetic character despite the flaws in his personality.
I am a fan of cinematic eye-candy Alicia Vikander and was happy to see her appearing in this film in a minor role as Berg's girlfriend. She adds a much needed sex-appeal to this film.
The story is somewhat confusing for the uninitiated and all the technological jargon and banter will leave some film-goers scratching there heads at times. But it is best to just sit-back and enjoy the ride as the fast-paced, energetic cinematography and screenplay will entertain you for the duration. There are multiple locales, mostly around Europe and the art-direction is murky, overcast and dark which seems appropriate for the subject matter.
This is a somewhat one-sided view of Assange coming from a couple books (one by Berg). There maybe more to his character than the film alludes to. Assange was one of the most controversial and contradictory individuals to be given the media's spotlight in the last decade. This is an entertaining spectacle that reveals the type of big personality that goes into the big ideas of our times.
No comments:
Post a Comment