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Director: Alex Gibney
Film Pulse Score: 7/10
When most people hear the term “WikiLeaks” the first thought that most likely comes to mind is the site’s creator, Julian Assange. Though Assange does, no doubt, play a major role in the WikiLeaks debate, it’s important to recognize that he’s not the only person who should be talked about. We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks takes a look at the controversy surrounding the now infamous site and those involved in its creation, as well as the impact it has had on the populous.
While it would be easy to create a documentary simply about Julian Assange, director Alex Gibney opts for a more all-encompassing approach to this story by focusing on the impact and subsequent fallout the site caused. Assange is certainly one of the major players in the film, however a large portion of the run-time is spent discussing the actions of Bradley Manning, the young soldier who leaked the thousands of classified documents to the site.
In addition to profiling these two individuals and several other WikiLeaks members, the film explores the reaction of both the media and our government. Though many are divided on the actions of Assange, Manning, and the site itself, Gibney seems to do his best at documenting the events fairly and without bias. He does often inject himself into the film as well as narrate certain portions, which felt unnecessary however.
The film itself is structured like a standard talking head documentary, featuring interviews with hackers, politicians, journalists, and just about everyone else Gibney could find. Since Assange did not allow an interview for the film, stock footage was used, which was unfortunate, however Gibney did explain what happened in the movie itself.
When making a film of this scope, it’s important to have a director that can handle such a multilayered story and Alex Gibney is a perfect match. After being nominated for an Oscar for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and then winning for Taxi to the Dark Side, Gibney seemed fully prepared for another documentary that tackled politics, scandals, war, and controversy.
The multifaceted impact of WikiLeaks is far-reaching and this documentary does its best to look at each aspect in a clear and concise manner. Though it bounces from topic to topic in order to keep up the pace, it tackles everything from the media’s involvement, to the influence on the Arab Spring. This is all done in a palatable way, and never feels boring, or droll.
At this point, it should be mentioned that WikiLeaks themselves released a full transcript of this film before its release and annotated it with what they are claiming are selective edits and inaccuracies. While I can’t speculate as to which side of this is truth (or more true), the film as a whole is not about exposing WikiLeaks as a terrorist organization or vilifying them in any way. The film acts as more of an exposé to document the broader conversations the site has sparked.
That being said, I would suggest those interested in learning more to check out the transcript here and draw your own conclusions.
