Only a few actors are able to consistently get it right, one of those is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. His latest material comes in the form of a true story based on a man who today still divides opinion, namely Edward Joseph Snowden. Some consider him a traitor and some revere him as a hero for what he decided to do – exposing the NSA for invading people’s privacy and ultimately bringing the term Big Brother is always watching to the ultimate fore. I for one admire the guy, takes guts and a whole lot more to do that especially against the most powerful government in the world.

It’s funny because before the movie if you were to ask me who Ed Snowden was, I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell you. The movie does a great job in telling his story and ultimately made me want to find out more about him and his story.

What’s his story and overall hook of the movie?

Disillusioned with the intelligence community, top contractor Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) leaves his job at the National Security Agency. He now knows that a virtual mountain of data is being assembled to track all forms of digital communication — not just from foreign governments and terrorist groups, but from ordinary Americans. When Snowden decides to leak this classified information, he becomes a traitor to some, a hero to others and a fugitive from the law.

The movie is very well thought out and has a natural flow that I really liked. It’s quite long yes but those two hours and couple of minutes spent watching will be worth it. Gordon-Levitt is perfect in his role and leads a star-studded cast very well. Whilst watching, I couldn’t help but think just how much power governments have and them being able to spy and track your every move is one scary thought. If I were in his (Snowden) shoes, I probably would have done the same thing and there’s a certain admiration for an individual like that, someone who decides to go against the status quo and stand up for what’s right despite the consequences.

Such an interesting story and watch that I could probably go on forever about but like always I’m not going to spoil it for you. Make sure to read about the real true story here and of course, be sure to watch the movie when you get the chance to.

Cast – Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Scott Eastwood & Nicolas Cage

Director – Oliver Stone

Genre – Drama film/Thriller

Running Time – 134 minutes

Snowden is a great watch and anyone into good movies will enjoy it like I did. It gets a well deserved 3.5 out 5 rating from me.