It's been nearly a full year since Snowden, Oliver Stone's take on the events that led up to Edward Snowden uncovering and leaking vital government information, was supposed to be released. The chances of the film's success, however, remain pretty minimal from my perspective, even with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead role and Shailene Woodley playing his loving girlfriend. The subject matter is ripe for a proper political thriller-drama, but Stone's devotion to the facts of the story, down to Snowden's accent, could very well sink the whole damn thing.
There's a similar feeling in the latest clip to be released for the film, which features Gordon-Levitt and Woodley arguing about conservative politics vs. liberal politics. Beyond the not-so-fresh revelation that Snowden had (and possibly still has) conservative tendencies, the clip offers little beyond the charms and studied professionalism of the two performers. A good shot opens the clip but is cut off too soon, and the dialogue, though amiable enough, doesn't really cut into what these people really believe in beyond labels. Sure, its just a minute-or-so-long clip, but the lack of detail in this representative sequence raises suspicions. Let's hope I'm wrong on this one.
Snowden will be released in limited theaters on September 16th.
Here's the new clip from Snowden:
Here's the official synopsis for Snowden:
Academy Award®-winning director Oliver Stone, who brought Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Wall Street and JFK to the big screen, tackles the most important and fascinating true story of the 21st century. Snowden, the politically-charged, pulse-pounding thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, reveals the incredible untold personal story of Edward Snowden, the polarizing figure who exposed shocking illegal surveillance activities by the NSA and became one of the most wanted men in the world. He is considered a hero by some, and a traitor by others. No matter which you believe, the epic story of why he did it, who he left behind, and how he pulled it off makes for one of the most compelling films of the year.
