Snowden (2016) on Netflix
R20162h 14mBiographyCrimeDramaThriller
In Hong Kong in 2013, Edward Snowden hands journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras classified material on mass surveillance. Years earlier he trains at the CIA and meets Lindsay Mills.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb7.3/10174,573 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes61%
Trailer
Plot summary
Edward Snowden enlists in the Army with plans to reach the Special Forces, but breaks his legs in a training drill and is discharged. He applies to the Central Intelligence Agency and Deputy Director Corbin O'Brian takes a chance on him, sending him to train in cyberwarfare, where he learns how warrant requests are approved and builds a covert communications network in his hometown. Through a dating website he meets Lindsay Mills, who holds political views opposite to his, and in 2007 he takes a diplomatic post in Geneva with her. There he joins Gabriel Sol in electronic surveillance work. In 2013, in Hong Kong, Snowden arranges a meeting with the documentarian Laura Poitras and the journalist Glenn Greenwald to talk about classified material in his possession on mass surveillance by the National Security Agency.
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Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Snowden (2016)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- While making Snowden in Germany, Oliver Stone skipped his mother's funeral in America because flying back would have cost him four shooting days he said he could not afford to lose.
- Fearing NSA interference, Oliver Stone shot Snowden mostly outside the United States and moved to Munich; because he feared leaks, he hired ethical hacker Ralph Echemendia and made cast and crew use secure chat and file-sharing.
- No studio was ready to support Snowden and U.S.-affiliated companies refused involvement, so Oliver Stone financed it himself with his producer; French and German money arrived only eight days before production began in Germany.
- Edward Snowden was initially wary of a film about his life but agreed after more meetings with Oliver Stone; he had no script approval and was paid nothing for Snowden, with the payment going to The Guardian.
- Peter Gabriel wrote the song "The Veil" exclusively for Snowden, and its music video features photos, a cameo by Edward Snowden, news coverage scenes and footage from the film.
- For Snowden's Hawaii scenes, the production used a house on the same street where the real Edward Snowden lived, during a shoot that ran from April 15 to April 18.
- Snowden opened to $8 million and finished fourth at the box office, marking the lowest opening of Oliver Stone's career for a film playing in over 2,000 theaters.
