There is a great deal to say about this fine effort by Oliver Stone and an all-star cast, at least some of whom, I would wager, vied for a chance to be part of this project. It will be hard to choose what to cover in this review.
Most notable, perhaps, is the film’s very effective presentation of the perilous government crimes that Edward Snowden courageously exposed. Until now, those crimes have been difficult to internalize for anyone not a full-time student of public policy and law.
The roll-out of Snowden’s revelations in 2013 by the journalists he enlisted for this task was attenuated and clunky. This treatment and effect was understandable -- the media outlets involved didn’t want to be accused of sensationalizing the material. Further, of course, what was shared with us then was documents and charts and graphs and descriptions.
Thus, to a great degree, even someone paying close attention to what Snowden shared was left with nothing more than an academic handle on the crimes laid bare. One could calculate the pernicious evil of the “Total Information Awareness” panopticon, but not truly own it. Oliver Stone has cured that problem.
TO PICK BUT ONE EXAMPLE, film-goers actually see an operat ...
