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      The Fifth Estate

      R Released Oct 18, 2013 2 hr. 8 min. Drama Mystery & Thriller List
      36% 179 Reviews Tomatometer 36% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and a colleague, Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl), join forces to become watchdogs over actions of the privileged and powerful. Despite scant resources, they are able to create a platform for whistle-blowers to leak covert data anonymously, thereby exposing government secrets and corporate crimes. However, a major battle erupts when Assange and Berg gain access to the biggest cache of confidential intelligence documents in U.S. history. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Mar 01 Rent Now

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      Critics Consensus

      Heavy on detail and melodrama but missing the spark from its remarkable real-life inspiration, The Fifth Estate mostly serves as a middling showcase for Benedict Cumberbatch's remarkable talent.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Blu B It's such a mess. This is a lot of things but the biggest thing is this is, it's a wasted opportunity. Everything is bogged down by subpar execution and a unfocused script. This should've just focused on the major leak that led to the escalation of the info war with the U.S.A. not all the backstory on the organization, Daniel, and barely getting any backstory on Julian who sometimes is the main focus and sometimes isn't. That the other thing I can't tell you if Daniel, Julian, or the Info War plot is the main focus as it feels terribly unfocused. Before the major leak it shows all the results of multiple other leaks and it feels terribly jumpy and doesn't flow well at all. It feels like just random events and makes this feel very convuluted. The cinematography is shot lifelessly, pointless shaky cam, obnoxious camera angles every now and than, all over the place different styles, weird abstract scenes, and sometimes the scenes are so convuluted you don't even know what's happening. This does get better in the second half though and the best part is the inital leak and receiving of the papers which actually was well done and came very close to something out of the Bourne movies. Than it starts bouncing around again and loses focus but not as bad as first. The music isn't good either alternating from boring and generic to out of place international pop numbers. They never help build tension or suspense at all. This can't decide if it wants to be a biopic about Julian or a political thriller and never full develops either. Finally, Cumberbatch isn't good in this as Julian and comes across as wooden, stilted, and not kind of whiny at times. We never get any backstory on him really either despite this trying to be a biopic about him and his rise. This needed to really start and focus squarely on the leak simliar to something like a combo of All the President's Men and a Bourne movie hybrid and drop all the unfocused backstory and abstract stuff to simplify the plot and make Julian less wooden and stilted. Skip This and read the book instead. What a missed opportunity. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/07/23 Full Review The Lego S Ok movie, Benedict Cumberbatch was a great Julian Assange, very dramatic. Good ending but just too dramatic. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/08/23 Full Review steve d Not even the acting is passable in this mess of a biopic. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review bacon p A terrible misrepresentation of the facts in Assange's persecution and work. Let me start by saying that those that blame the slowpaced nature of this film on the source material are completely off base. It takes reading two or three interviews of people knowledgeable on this case to realize that from start to its current state, Assange's journey would make for an amazing thriller. (read Republik's interview of Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture on Assange and then tell me it wouldn't make a great thriller.) The performances we're great, as it's to be expected from Benedict and Daniel, but the story itself stands as an enemy of the whole reasoning behind Assange's actions and motivations. The source itself is taken from two books, on of which was written by Daniel Berg who, of course, comes out as the hero of the film and villainized Benedict's character. They took one of the most incredible cases in history and turned it into everything it shouldn't have been by providing a work of debased truth. Take the names out of it and forget it's based on real life events and it would've been a 3/5 stars. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review kevin c Based on true events, this film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange who created WikiLeaks and how the site became a huge problem for the US government as well as many nations worldwide. Daniel Bruhl costars as his colleague/employee. Fascinating story which plays like a spy movie almost with some tense and suspenseful scenes. Really compelling storytelling. Quite enjoyed this one. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member If you're someone who came for the actors and the way they carry out their performances, its very engaging. As for keeping up with the overall story to pay attention to what's happening AS WELL AS knowing the actual REAL and informative proof of the "true story"... that's a truth the film does not want to fully explore within a concise and organized dimension. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      J. Hoberman ARTINFO.com Given its own aggressive attention deficit disorder, The Fifth Estate is the sort of movie that might induce a migraine. Feb 22, 2019 Full Review Deborah Ross The Spectator Those in the know say Cumberbatch's performance captures the physical Assange perfectly, but the film fails to get a handle on him as a personality, or offer any kind of insight into what his true motivation might be. Sep 5, 2018 Full Review Louis Black Austin Chronicle Tthe film finally falls short, an explosive beginning leading to a pedestrian end. Rated: 2.5/5 Oct 25, 2013 Full Review Richard Crouse Richard Crouse A rather ham fisted look at the information wars, which contains some drama but takes too long to get to the good stuff. Rated: 2.5/5 Jan 31, 2021 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com It is less involving when we're forced to sit through ancillary storylines and conflicts that do little to advance the story. Rated: 2.5/4.0 Sep 7, 2020 Full Review Allen Almachar The MacGuffin Very few films this year have registered such a lack of an emotional reaction. Rated: C- Jul 23, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and a colleague, Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl), join forces to become watchdogs over actions of the privileged and powerful. Despite scant resources, they are able to create a platform for whistle-blowers to leak covert data anonymously, thereby exposing government secrets and corporate crimes. However, a major battle erupts when Assange and Berg gain access to the biggest cache of confidential intelligence documents in U.S. history.
      Director
      Bill Condon
      Executive Producer
      Richard Sharkey, Paul Green, Jeff Skoll
      Screenwriter
      Josh Singer
      Distributor
      DreamWorks SKG
      Production Co
      Anonymous Content
      Rating
      R (Some Violence|Language)
      Genre
      Drama, Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Oct 18, 2013, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 23, 2015
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $3.3M
      Sound Mix
      Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital
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