Oliver Stone last week started production on his biopic of Edward Snowden, the sometime CIA systems admin who leaked information to the press and revealed just how much American intelligence agencies were spying on... well, on everyone really. The star of this film is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and the production today released two images of him in the role. Well, he looks enough like him that it doesn't matter, and Gordon-Levitt is a fine actor so I have no worries about his ability to carry off the role. Oliver Stone on the other hand... well, his films are rather scatter shot, to put it politely. I don't know if he's got the discipline and focus to nail a story like this and all of its relevance and resonances. He seems happier making cameras whizz around while neon lights flicker on and off and race horses breathe fire. But it's also true that Stone's politics suggest he'll be sympathetic to Snowden's point of view, and will be making this movie with a clear mission in mind: to further engage people with the information Snowden revealed. Also appearing alongside Gordon-Levitt will be Shailene Woodley and Nicolas Cage. They too should bring more attention to the film. Open Road will release the film in the US on Christmas day. I'd imagine a UK release will be set for January, as is often the way with such clear "awards season" pictures.
Brendon Connelly has been a film writer since the early 90s, with time on the staff of Orbit Magazine, Slashfilm, Bleeding Cool, Den of Geek and many more. He's a long time teacher of film studies and practical filmmaking classes, and has directed music videos, commercials, short films and more. His favourite film is Terry Gilliam's Brazil, his favourite food is pancakes or crepes, and he tries to live his life by the teachings of Kermit the Frog.
