Snowden Live

Patriot. Traitor. Criminal. Hero. All of these words have been used to describe Edward Snowden, the CIA employee turned expatriate and fugitive. Snowden is the upcoming biopic/thriller that chronicles the fateful decisions of the world’s most wanted man. Any political thriller directed by Academy Award winner Oliver Stone and starring Joseph Gordon Levitt already has my rapt attention. This story, however, is special in its relevance, as well as in the fact that it isn’t over yet.

For those who need catching up on the Snowden controversy, here is the gist of things: Snowden worked for the CIA, and was one of the agency’s top technology specialists. Eventually, his career brought him to be the lead technologist at the NSA’s Hawaii office. Snowden then abruptly left his job and flew to Hong Kong, where he sent classified documents detailing far-reaching NSA surveillance programs to multiple journalists. From there Snowden fled to Moscow, where he was granted temporary asylum and is where we catch up with our story. The film will show Edward Snowden’s journey from faithful government employee to one of the most controversial figures in United States history.

Besides our starring man, other notable castings include Shailene Woodley as Snowden’s girlfriend Lindsay Mills, Zachary Quinto as Glenn Greenwald, and Nicolas Cage as an intelligence official. As if they weren’t draw enough, you have the opportunity to see Snowden one night early. On Wednesday, September 14, 2016 live at 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT (and tape-delayed to 7:30 p.m. MT/PT) you can see Snowden Live, which will feature a screening of the film as well as a live interview between Oliver Stone and the man, the myth, the legend himself, Edward Snowden. The interview will be conducted live via satellite, with Stone in New York and Snowden in Moscow. You can find a list of participating theaters here.

I am really looking forward to this movie. A political thriller with this cast would already have my butt in the seat, but the retelling of a story as important and relevant as this one definitely begs a viewing. It remains to be seen how well executed it will be, but between Oliver Stone, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Edward Snowden himself, I’m expecting something pretty darn special. I’ll let you know how it turns out after the premiere, so stayed tuned to GUG for our review.

Are you going to see this film?