Image Credit: The Guardian
Following on from out Biopics Feature yesterday, Carmen Paddock sees if The Fifth Estate is watertight.
With the polarising, political and current WikiLeaks scandal at this drama’s heart, it is surprising that The Fifth Estate makes no attempt to moralise on this divisive issue.
Neither Assange nor the US government come off as the ‘good guy’ or ‘bad guy’ – they are merely conflicting parties each convinced that their stance is the ethically superior one.
This lack of stance may be one reason why some critics have complained that the film sheds no new light on this exciting controversy; however, it is relieving that the creative team chose to focus more on the people embroiled in the leaks – their lives and motivations – instead of on their international implications.
The star-studded cast does not disappoint on any level.
With the help of bleached hair and an Australian accent, Benedict Cumberbatch morphs into WikiLeaks’s elusive prophet. He uses his well-honed talent for sociopathic characters to its full effect; as with his Sherlock, his Assange is multifaceted, by turns charismatic, compulsive, idealistically visionary, ruthless, and unforgiving to those who fail to live up to his vision of a new society.
The film, however, could almost be said to unfold through the eyes of Assange’s slowly-disillusioned disciple, Daniel Berg. Daniel Brühl, fresh off his success as Rush’s Niki Lauda, immediately wins viewers over with his slight naiveté and uncompromised idealism upon joining Assange’s quest, and this sympathetic relationship to the audience is a stark, powerful foil to Assange’s unreachability.
Viewers expecting the film to be all about the two ‘stars’ will be surprised by the extremely strong supporting cast.
Image Credit: The Guardian
Alicia Vikander (A Royal Affair, Anna Karenina) captures the mixed devotion and understandable frustration with Assange’s all-hours approach as Berg’s girlfriend, Anke. Peter Capaldi has his same fantastic Malcom Tucker-esque air, albeit toned down and with less swearing, as the Guardian’s Alan Rusbridger.
As two American cabinet workers bent on sorting out WikiLeaks’ implications, the consistently marvellous Laura Linney and the never disappointing Stanley Tucci (where to start with their past credits?) round out the show.
The script is tight and well-written, allowing the characters to define themselves and their actions without monotonous explanation. The production design is, for the most part, solid.
However, the decision to represent the metaphorical ‘WikiLeaks headquarters’ in a dream like physical setting is odd and does not quite fit the rest of the film’s realistic aesthetic.
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