The Fifth Estate (2013) Not As Advertised

I know this post will be short because I have nothing to say about this film. One of the most interesting things about this film was what happened off stage. 

I guess I had high expectations for this film because of the actors in it and the story it was going to tell albeit a one sided story. It never gave enough information for the viewer to judge. I really did not feel like I was watching the story promised in the trailer. I know that a book should not be judged by its cover, but I will probably never see this film again. 

The film itself was about the controversial rise and (to and extent) fall of WikiLeaks.com which is a website that has been known in the past to leak information about the corruption of governments and companies. It was an interesting film that had great buildup but little climax. It felt like amazing things were about to happen and then they had less of a splash then they should have. Although Daniel Brühl is now on my list of actors to watch (after watching Rush) I think that both actors portrayed their roles incredibly well. You hate them both at different times and are happy for their small successes.

One of the interesting things about this film happened in 'real-life'. Benedict Cumberbatch was emailed by the creator of Wikileaks Julian Assange to not participate in the film. When Cumberbatch asked to meet with Julian in order to get to know him better, his request was denied. 

The fallout from the film has been minimal, but what is more interesting is the commentary in the film about Julian Assange and where he is now. As of this moment he is in the Ethiopian embassy in London. I don't believe he is able to leave. It seems odd that he wouldn't just serve a term in prison rather than serving a different one be it in a really nice one. I know he doesn't think he has done anything wrong, but the man has leaked privileged information about certain countries which cant be good for him. I am not saying what he did was wrong because its hard to argue against the war crimes he has leaked to the public in numerous countries. 

I wouldn’t consider this film to be ‘must-watch’ material, but it did have some good moments. The cinematography wasn’t subtle and the payoff wasn’t great. I was also finding myself losing interest in both main characters toward the end because it was foreshadowed throughout and was inevitable.

The story was complicated to watch, but it wasn’t a great story or film.