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The Fifth Estate
2013 128 min India, United States of America R 18+
★5.8
Drama, Thriller
Director: Bill Condon
🎭 Based on
«Inside WikiLeaks»
byDaniel Domscheit-Berg
Trailers
Description
A look at the relationship between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his early supporter and eventual colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg, and how the website's growth and influence led to an irreparable rift between the two friends.
Budget:
$28M
US Gross:
$3.26M
Worldwide:
$8.56M
Starring
Benedict Cumberbatch
Actor
Daniel Brühl
Actor
Carice van Houten
Actor
Awards
2 wins & 3 nominations total
Key opinion
The Fifth Estate is generally viewed as a competent but standard biographical drama that succeeds in raising complex ethical questions about transparency and privacy despite its fragmented narrative. While Benedict Cumberbatch’s transformative performance is widely praised, the film is frequently criticized for its inability to match the stylistic intensity of modern classics in the tech-biopic genre.
| Acting | Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a compelling, nuanced, and physically transformative portrayal of Julian Assange. | |
| Theme | The film effectively prompts viewers to consider the moral dilemmas surrounding information security and the potential human costs of government leaks. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay relies on clichéd dialogue and an overly episodic structure that struggles to maintain a cohesive narrative focus. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing is uneven, with a bloated two-hour runtime that often feels sluggish or drags during secondary subplots. | |
| Direction | Opinions on the director's vision are divided: some appreciate the elegant, understated atmosphere, while others feel it unsuccessfully mimics the frenetic style of 'The Social Network' without achieving its impact. |