Snowden (2016)

Edward Snowden's saga has been well documented, thanks to the efforts of Snowden himself. It will be redone many times. It's an enthralling tale. I don't think any account will match up to Citizenfour. But this dramatization does an excellent job of painting Snowden as a patriot. Having seen all these different accounts over the last several years, I've gone back and forth on the issue. I constantly ask myself, would I be able to work for the NSA, or for the intelligence community generally? And I honestly have not arrived at an answer yet. I am really unsure about how I feel about the NSA's questionable efforts to enhance our safety. This film actually had the opposite effect of what I imagine was intended. It gives the impression that Snowden did the right thing and it did that. But I actually felt more inclined to join the intelligence community. It looked like they were doing important, cutting edge work. Some methods are better than others, but on the whole it is positive. Even if their morals are debatable, Stone does not undercut the work that the NSA does, in my view (though he might've been trying to). And although he disagrees with their methods, we know that Snowden has always maintained that it was for the public to decide, they simply had the right to know and make an educated decision. He's a humble bragger--that certainly comes across. Well done, JGL.