76
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanThe vastly divergent paths of Assange and Manning make up the most fascinating aspects of this relentlessly compelling film.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyUnfolding like an espionage thriller but with a methodical journalistic skill at organizing a mountain of facts, the film raises stimulating questions about transparency and freedom of information in a world in which governments and corporations have plenty to hide.
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinBy the time this twisty, probing, altogether enthralling movie hits its final notes, the crimes against the Constitution and humanity have been upstaged by personal demons. Which is our woe as well.
- 75The A.V. ClubA.A. DowdThe A.V. ClubA.A. DowdTruthfully, Assange’s absence from We Steal Secrets—regardless of the reasons for it—is a major liability, and not just because it prevents Gibney from truly engaging with his headline-grabbing subject. Without a strong personality at its center, the film often feels unbalanced, lurching awkwardly between basic infotainment concerns and a sharper, more specific agenda.
- 75New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithDespite Gibney’s best efforts to put a halo on Manning, the enormity of what the soldier did towers over what has been done to him.
- 60VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeThe conflict at the core of the WikiLeaks saga is dramatically lacking.
- The latest documentary to roll out of the Alex Gibney factory looks at the life and times of the crusading website and explores related themes such as freedom of information and the moral responsibility of activism, but is far less illuminating about its silver-haired standard-bearer.
- 60Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearYou’ll leave knowing slightly more about the who, what and why of WikiLeaks; you’ll also wish the whole shebang didn’t fell like such a tone-deaf data dump overall.
- 60Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekVillage VoiceStephanie ZacharekGibney, a prolific and skilled documentarian, marshals and organizes a raft of information as deftly as anyone could wish. But his conclusions are murkier than they might be.