Ed (Gordon-Levitt) is a bright spark who never went to university, but CIA trainer Corbin (Ifans) spots his genius. Rising up the ranks, he moves from Virginia to Geneva, Japan and Hawaii, with his girlfriend Lindsay (Woodley) patiently accepting his inability to explain what he does. Along the way, his faith in the US government is badly shaken as he witnesses comprehensive data-gathering on everybody on earth, from American citizens to allied diplomats. And he strongly believes that voters should know what their elected officials are up to.

The movie is framed as Snowden tells his story to documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras (Leo) and two Guardian journalists (Quinto and Wilkinson) in a Hong Kong hotel. This boils over into a bit of climactic action as the CIA tracks him down. Even though we know what happens, Stone so finely orchestrates these scenes that they get the blood pumping. And a final moment dissolve between Gordon-Levitt and the real Snowden raises goosebumps.

Indeed, Gordon-Levitt vanishes into the role. He's a little too cool to be a computer nerd, but is awkward and reticent enough be believable. He and Woodley play the central relationship very nicely (including an utterly unnecessary sex scene); this is the film's central through-line, a compelling love story with a lot at stake. Of the eclectic supporting cast, the standouts are Ifans for his subtle fatherly disapproval, Cage for adding a touch of bonkers energy as a jaded CIA veteran, and Schnetzer as a hyperactive fellow programmer.

And the story is tackling gravely enormous themes, pitting privacy against safety while making it very clear exactly where the government crossed the line into immorality, to say nothing about flouting the law and lying to Congress. Capturing all of this data doesn't bother most people, but what is being done with it should, as the US government uses knowledge to extort and coerce for economic gain. It's fairly impossible to believe that any of these programmes have been curbed. But even if you still have faith in your politicians, you'll still be covering your webcam.

themes, language, sexuality

12.Oct.16 lff