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Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016
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Associated Press
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt attends the premiere of “Snowden” Sept. 13 at AMC Loews Lincoln Square in New York.
‘Snowden’ earns under projection
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Jesse Baalman Columnist T @jessebaalman
“Snowden” didn’t receive the attention it deserved at the box office during its Sept. 16 debut with “Sully” outperforming its projections and “Bridget Jones’s Baby” and “Blair Witch” fighting for a top spot at the box office. Its less-than-stellar reviews contributed to its disappointing $8 million debut, according to the Internet Movie Database. Two books are used for the basis of the film: “The Snowden Files” by Luke Harding and “Time of the Octopus” by Anatoly Kucherena. The narrative follows the beginning of Snowden’s career in 2004 to his leaking of classified information from the National Security Agency in 2013 which sparked debates about the U.S. government’s secret global surveillance programs. While its release was a little disheartening, the film itself is worth viewing in theatres. Director Oliver Stone’s “Snowden” succeeds at proving Snowden is neither a hero nor a traitor. His film humanizes this controversial figure because of actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s
carefully articulated performance and the chemistry he shares with co-star Shailene Woodley. The script successfully grounds the character of Snowden which downplays his provocativeness. This is no easy story to tell, and it only seems right that Oliver Stone, two-time recipient of the Academy Award for Best Director, would be the one to tell it. It has been years since Stone put out anything groundbreaking or substantial, and while this isn’t exactly a return to form for him, it is a giant leap in the right direction. The juxtaposition of visually contrasting film and camera formatting is hard to get comfortable with at first. When “Snowden” had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, it seemed like it was destined to become an Oscar contender and a box office success. But Open Road Films, the distributing company for “Snowden,” released the movie during a weekend of tough competition. Gordon-Levitt is one of the most hard-working and underrated actors of today. He captures Snowden’s mannerisms down to his unmistakable low tone of voice. This is another aspect of the film that might be hard for some to settle with, but GordonLevitt’s dedication pays off. His scenes with girlfriend, Lindsay Mills, played by Woodley, are of particular craftsmanship.
A whole separate movie could be made about the couple’s journey throughout this time. Her well-rounded character provides balance in places where the film most needs it. This is a task that Woodley is more than up for, and she deserves credit for mastering the role. One disappointing realization I had after the film ended was how Snowden’s character is never painted as genius as I think he is in real life. The story succeeds when Snowden got a hold of the classified information and viewers learned how the United States was collecting it. The film intelligently convinces its viewers Snowden did what he felt like he had to do for his country, but what he did not out of spite and general concern for the public. Snowden is a conversation-starter and reveals the shockingly boundless scope of surveillance that was being conducted in secrecy.
Box office Box office results Sept. 16 to 18, according to Flixster.com. 1. “Sully” — $22 million 2. “Blair Witch” — $9.7 million 3. “Bridget Jones’s Baby” — $8.2 million 4. “Snowden” — $8 million 5. “Don’t Breathe” — $5.6 million