The Fifth Estate (2013)

What worked: A true tale is always better than fiction. How much was omitted, dramatized, and cut out/merged due to time constraints always changes the story was in the back of my mind as I watched. However, I find the story is about characters Assange and his cohorts interesting. As the Fifth Estate unfolds we find out what makes Assange tick. The story of Wikileaks itself unfolds is even more interesting. What Wikileaks actual did the how, why, what is exposed is just fascinating. Both sub stories unfold at a pace where the view is wanting to know more. Mixed in is the sub cutler of the hackers, cyber underground give a realist feel. All three components makes for the an interesting story. The thesis of the right to know vs personal privacy/ lives at risk is a great debate for a memorable ending. Was Assange and Wiki's strict policy with time lines and with out redaction too much? The Fifth Estate shows the effects of news on people both good and bad which is a nice change from the plethora of good vs evil super hero movies.

Steve Golin and Bill Condon managed to produce and direct Propaganda crap.

-The Fifth Estate is a 2013 thriller film directed by Bill Condon, about the news-leaking website WikiLeaks. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as its editor-in-chief and founder Julian Assange, and Daniel Brühl as its former spokesperson Daniel Domscheit-Berg Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Alicia Vikander, Stanley Tucci, and Laura Linney are featured in supporting roles. The film's screenplay was written by Josh Singer based in-part on Domscheit-Berg's book Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World's Most Dangerous Website (2011), as well as WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy (2011) by British journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding. The film's name is a term used to describe the people who operate in the manner of journalists outside the normal constraints imposed on the mainstream media. -Co-produced by DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media, The Fifth Estate premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival,and was released in theaters by Touchstone Pictures in the United States on October 18, 2013, with international distribution divided among Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, and independent arrangements by Mister Smith Entertainment.The film performed poorly at the box office and garnered mixed critical reaction, receiving criticism for its screenplay and direction; however, praise was given on the acting, particularly Cumberbatch's performance.Julian Assange has described the film as a "massive propaganda attack", he did discuss the film with Benedict Cumberbatch, with Cumberbatch claiming that he's "personally supportive" of the organization.Critical response:-The Fifth Estate received mixed reviews from film critics. The film currently holds a 37% approval rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 163 reviews with an average rating of 5.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "Heavy on detail and melodrama but missing the spark from its remarkable real-life inspiration, The Fifth Estate mostly serves as a middling showcase for Benedict Cumberbatch's remarkable talent." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 49 based on 42 reviews, indicating "mixed to average" reception. It received an average grade of "B" from market-research firm CinemaScore. Despite the film's mixed reception, Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as Assange has received much praise.

A movie is suppose to be different from a news reel; it meant to have characters and a plot ; this does not qualify. It does not even qualify as documentary as its completely lacking major details (and now a days even documentaries have "characters") There is no central character in this movie ; not even Assange ; its just like watching a news footage for 2 hrs ; he moves n talks in third person and so everybody else ; there is no central observer to movie and no neutral views ; even the character of Assange is very poorly developed; Its not question of justifying or opposing a character of Assange but the director completely failed to show him as a living being and he remains what he was always ; a object ; not a character . Take for example "Last King of Scotland" ; the character of brutal dictator Amin was so well developed ; with nuances n eccentricities that you can relate to it (even if not sympathize) . The director forgot that basic tenant that movie needs something which audience can relate to ; either like or dislike or awe or inspire ; something ; not a bland dish with news reels which they had already seen.