Watch this movie if you can excuse your views on the man

Rating: 7/10 (28 May 2017)

'SNOWDEN' was directed by Oliver Stone and stars Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Shailene Woodly and Melissa Leo. It is the incredible true story of how one man(Edward Snowden/Joseph Gordon Levitt) changed the face of surveillance and really how we deal with privacy and the government today.
​ It's really impossible to review this movie without some form of bias. I for one see Edward Snowden as a hero and respect him fully for what he did for his country. Due to the heavily divided views on what Snowden did, it's hard to watch this movie(with any level of insight) in a completely fair and just manner in which you don't take the director's clear view into account. That said, I will definitely say that the majority of people who see this movie will enjoy seeing it. If you have a very avid opinion against the view represented here, you will probably not enjoy it unless you can put all that aside. If you can separate your views and focus on the actual movie itself, you'll be in for a mixed bag of everything.
The story, for starters, is competently told and, from my knowledge, tells it in a mostly honest way. That said, there are many moments in the film were they try to add tension but it just doesn't work and feels no manipulated and forced. If all them things did happen then I'm sorry but unless I'm proved otherwise, the tension in this movie was very contrived. I also feel like they kind of glossed over what he actually did in the movie. Like it or not, he changed the entire world and they just kind of glide past the impact with a minute tribute.
Next, the acting. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a pretty good job as Edward Snowden and I understand the burden of representing someone who is A) Still Alive and B) changed the entire world as we know it. Shaillene Woodley was fine as Lindsay Mills. I can't say that any of the acting was sub-par just that some characters were underdeveloped and really should have earned more screen time.
On a technical level, the movie movie is pretty solid. The cinematography is mostly fine with a few editing choices and rapid camera movements that I thought were out of place and didn't work for the rest of the film. In conclusion, this movie has pretty good drama and is entertaining if you can looking past all political opinions. If you can do that, I recommend it.
7/10