Snowden

Oliver Stone's "Snowden" is one of my favorite films of 2016 and it's a real damn shame this eye-opening gem isn't being appreciated via year-end critics awards. There's still a tiny hope it might be recognized by a guild or two or AMPAS -- tiny!

Viewing it a second time in this stunning Blu-ray transfer, what struck me most is just how truly vital and important the film is now that America has elected Donald J. Trump president. "Snowden" seems to be chasing the future and daring us to take action. Whether it's going to win over any converts or simply preach to the choir is another matter entirely as we become even more divisive as a country and our president-elect shows no signs of wanting to change that. And that discordancy can be seen as a parallel with the way people view Edward J. Snowden. He's either a traitor or a hero.

But Stone puts forth the notion that maybe he was just a man trying to do the right thing. That isn't hagiography as much as giving this beguiling millennial figure the benefit of the doubt. And there should be doubt. Snowden's rather altruistic motives had every thing to do with wanting citizens to know that their privacy was being invaded-that we were all being placed under surveillance.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the titular character in a superbly understated manner, discovering small nuances that help explore the mind and motivations of this perplexing, enigmatic man. And Shailene Woodley is excellent as his much-maligned girlfriend. One of the most potent scenes in the film has the two debating privacy with her espousing the oft heard, "I have nothing to hide," argument and him proving she actually does-we all do. And it shouldn't matter.

Snowden's journey is very similar to Ron Kovic's (the anti-hero in Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July") since he starts out as a rather gung-ho, conservative American yahoo and quickly realizes that the country he's fighting for isn't exactly fighting for him. The difference with Snowden is that there will be no celebrations for him in the United States, certainly none that he can ever attend.

Stone (and his co-writer Kieran Fitzgerald) tell the story as suspenseful docudrama, with few bells and whistles. As a matter of fact, "Snowden" sometimes resembles the Oscar-winning doc, "CitizenFour," which is odd but fitting since that film's director, Laura Poitras, her collaborator Glenn Greenwald as well as Guardian journo, Ewen MacAskill, are all characters (perfectly embodied by Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto and Tom Wilkinson, respectively).

The pic attempts to tap into the tricky times we live in where the media fail at astonishing levels and a whistleblower that steps in to divulge truths is demonized in the process. And Stone proves he is still an extraordinary filmmaker, incisive and bold as ever.

The Blu-ray looks and sounds amazing with extras that include a too-brief promo featurette (four min.), a few fascinating deleted scenes and a terrific Q&A originally presented by Fathom Events (terrific until you realize it's been cut down from 185 minutes to 41 minutes) with Stone, Gordon-Levitt, Woodley and Snowden via satellite from Moscow. The piece is pretty informative and Stone is fairly laid back. Missing is a Stone commentary (which he usually does for his films). Perhaps a deluxe edition will be forthcoming.

Snowden had the audacity to put forth the idea that we should be able to question our government and hold it accountable (something Stone has been arguing in his work for decades). Near the end of the film there is a brief soundbite where Trump says of Snowden, "There is still a thing called execution." With the Trump/Putin totalitarian bromance in full blossom, I truly worry for Edward J. Snowden.

"Snowden"
Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD
$19.96
https://www.uphe.com/movies/snowden