Review of We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (2013) by Phetrus X — 19 Nov 2013

For most people in the United States, the state of secrets is relatively unknown. With the ensuing scandals, the secrecy, leaks, whistle blowers, and constant news coverage, we are at odds with government at an incomparable level.

A couple of years ago Julian Assange, head of Wikileaks, unleashed upon the world the secrets of our government and those of its war. This documentary, helmed by the unmatched Alex Gibney, covers that history and lets those of us not in the know, know about what occurred.

A good portion of the film is actually about the private life of Mr. Assange, another large portion on Wikileaks, and another still on Bradley Manning. Through a set of long interviews, news coverage, and found footage, this documentary tells the story of the website's inception, its head's history, and what became of it.

This is one of the more pointed and unbiased documentaries I've ever seen, and gives criticism of both Assange and his operations, as well as praise. Not only does this film give the very technical details of what occurred three years ago, it also broaches on how it was inevitably derailed.

The film does get a little bogged down in its own jargon and extensive timeline, jumping between the past and the present, and also perspective, as it does go off-track on the story of Bradley Manning for a subsequent amount of time.

The reason this film covers Assange as well is because of the Christ-like acclaim he gained as the perpetuator of the website. He was a rebellious icon and was bringing free speech to the masses, but at the same time he was also exiling himself for his own foolishness, and didn't admit to his own undoing.

He was everywhere in the media, and yet knew when to release raw materials for the world to see, and when not to for people's safety. It's really strange how unbiased it all is, because it feels like it's driving towards a clear point and then ends with us wondering what the hell happened?