Citizenfour

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Citizenfour

R

Released Oct 24, 2014

1h 54m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

143 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After Laura Poitras received encrypted emails from someone with information on the government's massive covert-surveillance programs, she and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong to meet the sender, who turned out to be Edward Snowden.

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Critics Consensus

Part real-life thriller, part sobering examination of 21st century civil liberties, Citizenfour transcends ideology to offer riveting, must-see cinema.

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Stephen Romei

The Australian

Laura Poitras's Oscar-nominated documentary Citizenfour is proof that you can make an espionage thriller without car chases, bikini babes or martinis.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 19, 2015

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

There's footage from within the Ecuadorian embassy in London as Julian Assange helps with the flight that takes Snowden to Moscow, where he claims political asylum. These scenes give the film an unprecedented level of immediacy and dramatic tension.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 18, 2015

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Poitras' movie works even better as a horror picture -- perfect for Halloween week.

Jan 5, 2015

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Jordan M. Smith

IONCINEMA.com

One would be hard pressed to find a more culturally critical cinematic work than Poitras' risky, revealing film Citizenfour.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 21, 2020

Full Review

Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

So much is revealed by those leaks that it would be easy for Poitras to have buried us in data. But she lets the film unfold as a character study, with long silences and lingering close-ups as we watch Snowden come to terms...

Aug 8, 2019

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Ren Jender

Bitch Flicks

Citizenfour, I had to keep reminding myself, shows us history in the making. I had to keep telling myself what I was seeing was important because most of it is otherwise pretty dull.

Mar 11, 2019

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Audience Member

This film is a documentary about CitizenFour, better known to the public as Edward Snowden, a federal whistleblower who leaked information that revealed the government's violations on security and privacy. It depicts one on one interviews, and shows how he and a group of reporters released this information, and the dangerous situations it put them in. Overall due to the dramatic reenactments, key information, and importance to our everyday lives, this movie was both entertaining and educational and felt like you were in the interview room yourself.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/10/24

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S R

I wanted to learn the story of ES and this was it. It was informative and scary. I hope that those exposed will have to be held accountable for their actions and that our elected leaders will protect American freedoms and rights, including privacy. Shame on Obama for going against his promises. As a film it was reasonably well made. It was confusing at times with who the people they were referencing are, but it still manages to get its point across. It could have been more effective, but then it probably would have had to have been more dramatized. Saw on Tubi.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/11/24

Full Review

Shael

One of those stories you watch and will never forget, almost like it lives in the back of your mind like a surveillance tape. Massive respect for the brave hero of out story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/26/23

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Alec B

It's hard to deny the film's power and it's made all the more interesting by Snowden's very distinct lack of charisma.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

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Rich S

Along comes Edward Snowden, whose reveal in Poitras' film is one of the highlights of this low-action thriller. Snowden is obviously, as he has been most of his life, the smartest guy in the room. He has taken the first leap toward martyrdom and will leave behind his family and his country to get the word out about a vast network of global surveillance the US has helped to develop. And there is no irony when Snowden, tucked safely away in a Moscow apartment, is seen in footage taken by Poitras as a man in hiding in the safe haven of Putin's Russia.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/22/23

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B R

Incredible & Important

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/06/23

Full Review

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Laura Poitras

Director

Edward Snowden

Self

Julian Assange

Self

Jacob Appelbaum

Self

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Self

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Synopsis

After Laura Poitras received encrypted emails from someone with information on the government's massive covert-surveillance programs, she and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong to meet the sender, who turned out to be Edward Snowden.

Director: Laura Poitras
Producer: Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
Distributor: Radius TWC
Production Co: HBO Documentary Films, Participant Media
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 24, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 25, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.8M
Runtime: 1h 54m

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