Film Review: "The Fifth Estate" (2013).

"You can't expose the world's secrets without exposing yourself." This is The Fifth Estate. This biographical thriller film directed by Bill Condon, written by Josh Singer, and based in-part on Domscheit-Berg's book Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website (2011), and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy (2011) by David Leigh and Luke Harding. The story begins as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg team up to become underground watchdogs of the privileged and powerful. On a shoestring, they create a platform that allows whistle-blowers to anonymously leak covert data, shining a light on the dark recesses of government secrets and corporate crimes. Soon, they are breaking more hard news than the world's most legendary media organizations combined. But when Assange and Berg gain access to the biggest trove of confidential intelligence documents in U.S. history, they battle each other and a defining question of our time: what are the costs of keeping secrets in a free society-and what are the costs of exposing them?

In March 2011, it was reported that DreamWorks Studios had acquired the rights of Domscheit-Berg's book, as well as Leigh and Harding's book. In July 2012, reports surfaced that Singer were hired to pen the script, and Jeremy Renner was in talks of playing Julian Assange. Later that year, Deadline Hollywood broke the news that Renner was out of the running and the studio was seeking Benedict Cumberbatch instead. Assange emailed Cumberbatch to ask him to not to participate in the film. However, in October, it was confirmed that Cumberbatch would star, with Condon to direct, and James McAvoy in talks to play Domscheit-Berg. However, Daniel Brühl was eventually cast. In December 2012, the film's title was reported as The Man Who Sold the World, but with the official press release, it was confirmed that the film's title was actually The Fifth Estate. By mid January 2013, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Alicia Vikander, Stanley Tucci, Laura Linney, Carice van Houten, Peter Capaldi, and Dan Stevens rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in late March. Filming took place throughout Brussels, Belgium; and Berlin, Germany. During filming, Cumberbatch had to wear three different wigs, false teeth and blue contact lenses, in order to reflect Julian Assange's physical characteristics.

The film stars Cumberbatch, Brühl, Mackie, Thewlis, Vikander, Tucci, Linney, van Houten, Capaldi, and Stevens. Yet although the cast's presence helps to keep us invested in the story, you'll be left wondering how this dull, overlong film might have turned out in the hands of a less bombastic filmmaker. Cumberbatch, as Assange, and Brühl, as Domscheit-Berg, are decent enough, but there's a smug, self-righteous air to proceedings that makes it hard to warm to.

The Fifth Estate is a plodding, pedantic exercise in how not to approach culturally compelling material, featuring one of the most laughable lead performances in an alleged prestige picture. The film is a missed opportunity, a subject that might have been better in the hands of a different director.

Simon says The Fifth Estate receives: