Plot
A dramatic thriller based on real events that reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century's most fiercely debated organization.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 5.8/10 (1,278 voted)
Director:Bill Condon
Storyline
The story begins as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl) team up to become underground watchdogs of the privileged and powerful. On a shoestring, they create a platform that allows whistle-blowers to anonymously leak covert data, shining a light on the dark recesses of government secrets and corporate crimes. Soon, they are breaking more hard news than the world's most legendary media organizations combined. But when Assange and Berg gain access to the biggest trove of confidential intelligence documents in U.S. history, they battle each other and a defining question of our time: what are the costs of keeping secrets in a free society-and what are the costs of exposing them?
Writers: ,
Taglines:
You can't expose the world's secrets without exposing yourself.
Trivia:
On July 2012 it was reported that Jeremy Renner was very keen on playing Julian Assange. However, it was announced on October the same year that Benedict Cumberbatch has landed the lead. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 1/10
THE FIFTH ESTATE is based on two books, both written by people who had
personal and legal disputes with WikiLeaks.
These are personally biased sources and are now outdated by three
years. They tell only one side of the story.
These authors had an interest in portraying Julian Assange as dishonest
or manipulative for competitive, personal and legal reasons.
It is hard to imagine how a film which aims to dramatize only their
version of events could genuinely aspire to being fair or accurate.
The film does not tell the story Julian Assange or WikiLeaks staff such
as Sarah Harrison, Joseph Farrell or Kristinn Hrafnsson would tell.
Hopefully, soon, their story too can be told.
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