Snowden

In 2013 former CIA employee Edward Snowden leaked thousands of classified government files. His story is nothing short of extraordinary and it is dramatised to entertaining effect in Snowden, a tense political thriller from director Oliver Stone that boasts a strong central performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. After being exposed to a variety of practices that become deeply troubling, Snowden discovers that the National Security Agency is conducting illegal surveillance programs which allow them to spy on ordinary people. He becomes increasingly troubled by this, which causes problems for his long-term girlfriend (Shailene Woodley) and a senior CIA figure (Rhys Ifans), especially when he decides to blow the whistle. Sounding just like the real Edward Snowden, the suitably boyish Gordon-Levitt is completely convincing and endearing as the geeky computer genius who wants to do the right thing. Although the action gets a little cheesy towards the end, it's a return to form for Stone who delivers plenty of intrigue and tension.