Engrossing & Alarming!

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2016)

Based on the books The Snowden Files by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena, 'Snowden' is an Engrossing & Alarming Biographical Political Thriller, Directed by the Legendary Oliver Stone. The film unfolds a shocking incident, that shock the world, with consistently engaging writing & a Solid Performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Edward Snowden.
'Snowden' Synopsis: 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.
Edward Snowden did what he thought was right. You may call him a traitor for leaking information related to the Government, but what he saw & uncovered, couldn't have been kept as a secret. He thought about the people & although not all may respect that, its definitely a move instigated by circumstances & a sense of concern.
And 'Snowden' is strongly structured film that captures his turbulent journey. Stone & Kieran Fitzgerald's Screenplay is consistently engaging & the pace never drops. Its to the point! And Stone directs the film with his usual force, keeping the narrative engrossing as well as alarming. You're with Snowden as his uncovers a shocking truth & you stay with him till the end. Stone is in true-form here & 'Snowden' is definitely among his best films to date!
Cinematography is well-done. Editing is razor-crisp. Art & Costume Design are decent. Craig Armstrong's score is effective.
Performance-Wise: Joseph Gordon-Levitt steals the show. He enacts Edward Snowden with fierce commitment. A long-due Oscar Nomination, would seem justified. Shailene Woodley as Lindsay Mills, delivers a credible turn as Snowden's lady-love. Also, she looks gorgeous! Melissa Leo as Laura Poitras, Zachary Quinto as Glenn Greenwald & Tom Wilkinson as Ewen MacAskill, lend good support. Rhys Ifans as Corbin O'Brian & Nicolas Cage as Hank Forrester, are superb. Scott Eastwood as Trevor James, Timothy Olyphant as CIA Agent Geneva & Logan Marshall-Green as a male drone pilot, also do their brief bits well.
On the whole, 'Snowden' is a Winner. Highly Recommended!