Citizenfour Movie Review

Citizenfour  (2014)

Rent Citizenfour on Amazon Video (paid link)
Directed by: Laura Poitras
Starring: Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, William Binney
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A documentary with Edward Snowden who leaked classified documents about global surveillance.

Verdict
This follows Ed Snowden before and during the period when he released classified information revealing that the U.S. government was indeed spying on everyone despite their denials. He's admirable. A lone figure trying to stand up to the massive government, but did he succeed?
Watch it.

Review
It was unsettling to realize the U.S. government tracks everything it's citizens do. This documentary opens with various officials point blank denying such a fact. Does it really make us safer?
The filmmaker is on a watch list due to making films about the American war in Iraq and Guantanamo.

It's amazing that Snowden is willing to sacrifice everything, despite knowing the repercussion, just to make the knowledge available because it violates the Constitution. How disappointed is he that most people feigned outrage, then continued on with life. What can be done? The people outraged have no power to change the situation.

Citizenfour - Frightening... and true!

We hear Snowden's thoughts as the announcement and aftermath unfolds. This isn't a recreation after the fact, which makes it even more powerful. It's crazy how calm he is as the NSA positions multiple construction trucks outside of his house and freezes his bank accounts.

Snowden handed over classified documents and broke the law, but when officials lie to Congress and the people it's an unstoppable machine. There was no way the general public would ever find out unless someone broke ranks. The sheer power the government has is staggering. They are unchecked. They continue unchecked.