THE FIFTH ESTATE
By: John ’Doc’ Strange
Directed by: Bill Condon
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Alicia Vikander, Peter Capaldi, Carice van Houten, Dan Stevens, with Stanley Tucci and Laura Linney
MPAA Rating: R (for language and some violence)
Selig Rating: MATINEE
Runtime: 124 Min.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) started his site with the best of intentions. Teaming up with Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl), the two cyber watchdogs rooted into government websites and talked insiders into leaking sensitive information. WikiLeaks translates to a “big mess” as far as the governments of the world are concerned. Their leaks rocked the world.
If that were all it had done, this story would never had made it to the silver screen. Daniel’s almost dewy-eyed idealism slowly eroded and Julian’s moods rolled over and took a dive into a dark place. His desire to bring ALL facts to light finally gives governments fuel when he pushes the release of classified information that exposes the true identities of people whose lives were instantly endangered.
This is a very well made movie but the subject matter is very, very dark. It is not for everyone. If you are in to politics and want to see an insight into the mind of Julian Assange, this is the perfect movie for you. If you want to see a movie that will make you feel good about your fellow man, go see something else.
Movie Site: http://www.thefifthestatemovie.com/
The Selig Rating Scale:
FULL PRICE – Excellent movie, well worth the price
MATINEE – Good movie
DOLLAR – OK movie
CABLE – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
FREEBIE – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn't paid for it.
COMMERCIAL TV – Commercials and cutting to the allotted time will not hurt this one.
FORGET IT! – Bad. If you see this one, do yourself a favor and keep it to yourself.
GET YOUR TORCHES – BAD! – Burn the script, the writer, the director and maybe even the actors!
