"THE FIFTH ESTATE" (2013) Review

 

"THE FIFTH ESTATE" (2013) Review

The subject of WikiLeaks has been something of an conundrum for me. I have been aware of the series of news stories about the website and its founder and spokesperson, Julian Assange and Daniel Domscheit-Berg for years. But I must be honest . . . my thoughts on the whole matter tend to disappear at least a few minutes after hearing or reading about it. So when news of a film about WikiLeaks was announced, I found myself surprised by the online reaction to the news.

"THE FIFTH ESTATE" drew its title from a term that describes a group that operates outside of the society's normal groups, especially one that is considered beyond the restrictions or rules of those others. A "fifth estate" is strongly associated with journalists and media outlets viewed outside of or in opposition to the mainstream media or official press. This term could easily describe WikiLeaks, the Internet website and organization that publishes secret information, news leaks, and classified media from anonymous sources. The movie, which is directed by Bill Condon, is based upon Domscheit-Berg's book "Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World's Most Dangerous Website" and "WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy" by journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding. Both were published in 2011. The movie follows the association between Assange and Domscheit-Berg, from their 2007 meeting at the Computer Chaos Club in Berlin to their estrangement over the Afghan War Logs. Judging from the movie's source of material, it is easy to see that the story is mainly told from Domscheit-Berg's point of view.

Is it a good movie? Many critics and filmgoers seem to believe otherwise. They directed their negative criticism toward Josh Singer's screenplay and Bill Condon's direction. In fact, many also believe it was a mistake for the movie to be told either from Domscheit-Berg's point of view or those in the U.S. intelligence service. I now feel they were right in regard to the movie's points-of-view. After all Assange proved to be the movie's main topic in the end. I now feel that "THE FIFTH ESTATE" would have benefited from balanced viewpoints of both Domscheit-Berg and Assange. There were a few other aspects of "THE FIFTH ESTATE" I found a little troubling. There were moments when I could not ascertain some of the dialogue. I do not if this was due to the movie theater's sound system or the performances in the film. "THE FIFTH ESTATE" also featured a set - an office space filled with desks - that served as a visual metaphor of the WikiLeaks website. Honestly, I found this so-called metaphor rather irrelevant and ham-fisted.

However, "THE FIFTH ESTATE" had its good points. I thought Bill Condon's direction of the film to be solid and well-paced. He was ably assisted by Tobias Schliessler's sharp cinematography and Virginia Katz's skillful editing. Condon also did an excellent job of injecting suspension in a tale that focused on the Internet. I feel that he and screenwriter Josh Singer were right to include the consequences of the Afghan War Logs exposure in a few sequences featuring a Libyan doctor with political ties named Tarek Haliseh, who served as an informant for U.S. intelligence. Despite the film's failure to focus some of its story from Assange's viewpoint, I must admit that I found the movie's plot very interesting. Thanks to "THE FIFTH ESTATE", I managed to maintain my interest in WikiLeaks a lot longer than ten minutes or less.

I cannot deny that "THE FIFTH ESTATE" greatly benefited from a talented cast. Benedict Cumberbatch gave a very interesting performance as colorful creator of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange. I have no idea if the latter was satisfied with Cumberbatch. And there is a good chance (or not) that the characterization was off. If it was off, then one must place the blame on Singer's screenplay, not Cumberbatch's skillful performance. A less skillful actor could have easily been overshadowed by Cumberbatch's performance. Fortunately, Daniel Brühl was talented enough to make Daniel Domscheit-Berg a fascinating character in his own right - especially in scenes that conveyed the latter's frustrations with the Assange character. A third performance that caught my eye came from David Thewlis, who was equally colorful as British journalist Nick Davies, who covered WikiLeaks' exposure of the Afghan War Logs. I was also impressed by Laura Linney, who did an excellent job in conveying the U.S. intelligence services' anger and frustration toward the WikiLeaks website. The movie also featured solid performances from Stanley Tucci, Alicia Vikander, Dan Stevens, Alexander Siddig, Peter Capaldi, Moritz Bleibtreu and Anthony Mackie. However, I was disappointed by the film's minimum use of Mackie. For someone listed third in the cast, he had a very small role.

Despite the negative reaction to the movie and my belief that it could have included the viewpoint of main character Julian Assange, I still managed to enjoy "THE FIFTH ESTATE". I thought director Bill Condon and screenwriter Josh Singer did a solid job in creating a credible thriller from a movie about computer online leakage. More importantly, the film benefited from first-rate performances given by a talented cast led by Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Brühl.

Due to my interest in Julian Fellowes' HBO Max series, "THE GILDED AGE", I had decided to list some movies and television shows (in chronological order) that were also set in New York State and New York City during the 19th century - before, during and after the U.S. Civil War:

OLD NEW YORK IN MOVIES AND TELEVISION

1. "The Age of Innocence" (1934) - Irene Dunne and John Boles starred in this second film adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1920 Pulitzer Prize winning novel about New York City society during the 1870s. Philip Moeller directed.

2. "Dragonwyck" (1946) - Gene Tierney, Vincent Price and Walter Huston starred in this adaptation of Anya Seton’s 1944 novel about the relationship between the daughter of a Connecticut farmer and her distant cousin, a Hudson River Valley estate owner (a patroon). Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote and directed the film.

3. "Life with Father" (1947) - William Powell and Irene Dunne starred in this comedic adaptation of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse’s 1939 Broadway play about a Wall Street Broker and his family in the early 1880s. Michael Curtiz directed.

4. "The Heiress" (1949) - Oscar winner Olivia De Havilland starred with Montgomery Clift and Ralph Richardson in this adaptation of "Washington Square", Henry James’ 1880 short novel about a young woman in mid-19th century New York City who is torn between her father, a wealthy doctor, and a handsome young man who may or may not be a social climber. William Wyler directed.

5. "Hello Dolly!" (1969) - Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau starred in this colorful adaptation of Jerry Herman’s 1964 Broadway musical about a matchmaker in late 19th century New York City. Gene Kelly directed.

6. "The Age of Innocence" (1993) - Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfieffer and Winona Ryder starred in this third film adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1920 Pulitzer Prize winning novel about New York City society during the 1870s. Martin Scorsese directed.

7. "Washington Square" (1997) - Jennifer Jason-Leigh starred with Albert Finney and Ben Chaplin in this adaptation of Henry James’ 1880 short novel about a young woman in mid 19th century New York City who is torn between her father, a wealthy doctor, and a handsome young man who may or may not be a social climber. Agnieszka Holland directed.

8. "Gangs of New York" (2002) - Martin Scorsese directed this historical drama, a loose adaptation of Herbert Asbury’s 1927 book, “The Gangs of New York”, about a young man who returns to the Five Points neighborhood in early 1860s New York City to avenge his father’s death. Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz starred.

9. "Copper” (BBC-America; 2012-2013) - Tom Fontana created this series about an Irish-immigrant police detective and the people in his life during the last year of the U.S. Civil War in New York City. Tom Weston-Jones, Ato Essandoh and Kyle Schmid starred.

10. "The Alienist" (TNT; 2018-2020) - Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans and Dakota Fanning starred in this television series and adaptation of the first two novels in Caleb Carr’s “Kreizler“ novel series about late 19th century psychiatrist (or "alienist") who investigates crimes committed by serial killers with an ad hoc team that includes a newspaper illustrator and a society woman who joins the New York City Police as a secretary.

11. "The Gilded Age” (HBO Max; 2022-Present) - Julian Fellowes created this series about three elite families in the late-19th century New York City.  The cast features Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Louisa Jacobson and Denée Benton.

"GREAT EXPECTATIONS" (1946) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "GREAT EXPECTATIONS", the 1946 Oscar winning adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1860-1861 novel. Co-written and directed by David Lean, the movie starred John Mills and Valerie Hobson:

"GREAT EXPECTATIONS" (1946) Photo Gallery

THANKSGIVING in Images

 

THANKSGIVING IN IMAGES