Snowden (2016)

The NSA's illegal surveillance techniques are leaked to the public by one of the agency's employees, Edward Snowden, in the form of thousands of classified documents distributed to the press.

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers:

Kieran Fitzgerald (screenplay by), Oliver Stone (screenplay by)

Stars:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo

4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melissa Leo	...	Laura Poitras
Zachary Quinto	...	Glenn Greenwald
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Edward Snowden
Jaymes Butler	...	Drill Sergeant
Robert Firth	...	Dr. Stillwell
Rachel Handshaw	...	CIA Polygraph Adminstrator
Christian Contreras	...	CIA Psychologist
Parker Sawyers	...	CIA Interviewer
Rhys Ifans	...	Corbin O'Brian
Ken Thomas	...	Warrenton Gate Guard (as Kenneth Thomas)
Nicolas Cage	...	Hank Forrester
Michael Benz	...	CIA Student
Shailene Woodley	...	Lindsay Mills
Tom Wilkinson	...	Ewen MacAskill
Joely Richardson	...	Janine Gibson

Storyline

SNOWDEN stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and is written and directed by Oliver Stone. The script is based on the books The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena.

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Plot Keywords:

internet | mass surveillance | nsa | whistleblower | journalism | 

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Taglines:

One nation under surveillance for liberty and justice for all.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality/nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nicolas Cage had previously played the lead in Oliver Stone's World Trade Center (2006). He agreed to a small role in this film as a favor to Stone.

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Goofs

In Hawaii, when Snowden and Lindsay talk outside the house, while she says "this is the last time I'm helping you' her fingers swap from bent around her cheeks, to flat on the face depending on the angle focusing.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Glenn Greenwald: [sitting under a big green balloon alligator] So?
Laura Poitras: This is the only alligator.
Glenn Greenwald: Four minutes past. We walk in one minute. He was clear on that.
Laura Poitras: He's coming.
Glenn Greenwald: No, he is too young to have that kind of access.
Glenn Greenwald: [to Snowden as he walks up] Uh, what time does the restaurant open?
Edward Snowden: Noon. But the food is a bit too spicy. This way...

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

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Soundtracks

Epileptic Bells
Written and Performed by Winnie Rode

User Reviews

New perspective on Snowden

This movie succeeds in padding out the personal dimension of the Edward Snowden story. Its focus is the impact of Snowden's highly secretive, demanding work on his home life – and particularly on his relationship with his girlfriend, Lindsay.

The Snowden story is so bloody interesting – which makes this film interesting, thought-provoking and definitely worth a watch. However, the script was a bit melodramatic at times and I did find myself wishing they had done a better job with the content.

If you're interested in Snowden generally, I would definitely recommend the documentary Citizenfour over this one. But if you've already seen it, then it's worth adding this one to your watch list.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

UK France Germany USA

Language:

English American Sign Language Russian

Release Date:

16 September 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Snowden

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,000,058, 18 September 2016

Gross USA:

$21,587,519

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,357,216

Company Credits

Production Co:

Endgame Entertainment, Vendian Entertainment, KrautPack Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1