Review of The Fifth Estate (2013) by Willson L — 18 Nov 2013

Flat, boring, the antithesis of a thriller, the fascinating story of WikiLeaks is a letdown. Even Benedict Cumberbatch's show-stopping octopus dance - which will surely be the rage at all the hottest clubs - can't breathe life into The Fifth Estate. The acting is good in this Julian Assange tale but the story is deadly dull for the most part. The film is guilty of some of the same quick judgment it clearly doesn't endorse, exploiting Julian Assange's unmistakable appearance to help give itself a boogeyman. Condon strains to recreate the curdled friendship dynamic that powered The Social Network, David Fincher's Facebook creation story, but Assange is too cartoonish and Berg too bland for their relationship to grip. Like the film's cold, bleak backdrops of Belgium and Germany, there's far too little warmth, wit or movie sunshine to penetrate the overarching sense of its own seriousness. Cumberbatch, rocking white, stringy locks and some alien-like dance moves, does a fine 'SNL' impersonation. But he's sinister, not ambiguous - a loathsome hypocrite bound to inspire hit pieces like this. Cumberbatch as the awkward Australian Assange performs a masterclass in mimicry. It's a shame, then, that the performance is let down by some clumsy storytelling that trots out all the usual clichés.

VERDICT: "Hit The Exits" - [Panned Reaction] These are some of the worst films ever made. These films do everything wrong and do it worse than bad. Audiences should never see this film under any circumstances! (Films that are rated 0.5 or 1 stars).