We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks

On the good news side, "We Steal Secrets" is fast-paced, engaging and entertaining. It raises some interesting questions -- though more so about the nature of hero worship than about Wikileaks, and that is its downfall. There are so many huge, open questions about Wikileaks, about its ethics and its ongoing impact on the world and this doc really only scrapes that surface, preferring instead to spend its precious time on the prurient stuff about gender dysphoria and broken condoms.To some degree, Alex Gibney's ability to tell a fully fleshed-out story was limited by who he had access to -- not Assange, not Manning and not anyone who has a current relationship with either of them. One can argue that this was the fault of Assange, who chose not to participate in this film for whatever reason (he tells a different story from Gibney, and there's no way to know what really happened there), or one can argue that Gibney rushed a film that should have taken a more painstaking and journalistic approach, perhaps in order to be first off the blocks.Which brings me to the bad news side. This really isn't strong journalism. I was surprised to see someone of Gibney's caliber suddenly tossing in a line about a dictator receiving secret Wikileaks cables that were then used to oppress his people -- WITHOUT providing any more info on something so obviously titillating. Gibney doesn't mention who the dictator is, what country this occurred in, who or what the source of this seemingly explosive story is, or what made these particular cables any different from the thousands of cables the film tells us were freely available to anyone on the Wikileaks website. If there was a story there, it was incumbent upon Gibney to research it thoroughly and give the audience the facts. If he wasn't able to do that, he shouldn't have tossed it in just to rouse unsubstantiated outrage.Similarly, I was disappointed in the coverage of the whole Lamo affair. Granted, this could probably make a film in itself, but having read a bit about what went on between him and Manning, it seemed that Gibney chose to only scratch the surface. Anyone can see from Lamo's interviews that he's not the easiest person to comprehend or read, yet little that he says is investigated for truth.We also get a kind of kooky sequence with Assange's alleged rape victim in a distractingly bad wig and false eyelashes, even though we are also shown multiple images of what she really looks like (albeit with her eyes blacked out). It might have been useful to talk about the extremely broad rape laws in Sweden at this point, since they differ significantly from what most Americans think of as a rape charge, but this was not done.The film also suggests that Assange's paranoia keeps him holed up in the Ecuadoran embassy rather than any threat from those who would like to see him prosecuted. This may or may not be the case, but he doesn't really build it persuasively, or talk with any pertinent people in (or knowledgable of) the U.S. government about their current stances on Assange.Most of all, the film seemed to be working up, ever so energetically, to a dark and cynical point. "No help will come to save us," Gibney quotes Carl Sagan at the end, and he seems to suggest that whatever Assange and Manning did was futile, a cry in the dark for attention that grabbed the world's hyperactive mind for a moment, then imploded into a giant mess. That is one interpretation of what happened, of course, but I'd welcome a more nuanced and investigative one.

Your feelings toward Julian Assange and Chelsea (still officially Bradley as long as she is imprisoned by US Army) Manning are, of course, determined by your politics. Mr. Assange may have a "difficult" personality, but this reviewer finds the ACTIONS of these individuals, who are the focus of this documentary, thoroughly admirable. The film was completed before anyone had heard of Edward Snowden, whose revelations about the extent of government spying on US citizens have boosted the self-esteem of paranoids everywhere. Mr. Assange's activities are, of necessity, highly secretive of course, but we are able to learn something about his background and how he operates. Many still photos of Manning on duty in the Iraq theater of ops are displayed. BTW, the phrase "We steal secrets" is taken from an on-camera interview with a former NSA/CIA chieftain, simply describing what those agencies do for a living. It's well known that the US even spies on its "allies," and vice versa. This chap is one of the defenders of the Established Order who are given time in the film; I guess this is called "balanced reporting." Their presence at least gave me a few good laughs. Some former colleagues of Assange air their grievances against him. Even the hacker turned snitch who reported Manning to the Army gets a chance to shed a (crocodile?) tear of regret.I maintain that Alex Gibney is one of the best documentarians working in film today. His "Taxi To The Dark Side," about what happened to one individual in Afghanistan who was accused of aiding Osama bin-Laden, remains in my view one of the best and most important documentaries of the past decade. "We Steal Secrets" isn't quite on that level but certainly worth checking out. Long live the resistance to Big Brother!!

I imagined this film would be interesting because it is directed and produced by Alex Gibney, whose impressive body of work includes TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE and ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM. What I did not expect was one of the most amazing and informative documentaries I have ever seen!I've always been a bit conflicted about Julian Assange because on the one hand I feel his passion for exposing the wrongdoings and hypocrisy of governments and corporations is a noble undertaking that ultimately benefits the little guy and woman (who by comparison are specks of sand next to the big and powerful of our society). But another part of me feels Assange got so carried away with the power he attained through his Wikileaks website that he became many of the things he so ardently claimed to abhor. This documentary examines that dichotomy and more with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel. You may not walk away from it with a different view of Assange or his site, but I guarantee you'll be more informed.Even more interesting in this film than the story of Julian Assange is the tale of Bradley Manning. There were times during the Manning segments that my mouth hung open in utter shock. What a troubled and terribly tragic figure Manning is! I have no doubt he was motivated by good intentions when he provided so many secret documents to Wikileaks, but there's also no doubt those intentions were deeply muddled by profound inner turmoil. My heart sank for him. Others of you may disagree with me and respond very differently.I strongly suggest you watch this film, particularly in light of Edward Snowden, the newest whistleblower emerging on the scene. I give WE STEAL SECRETS the highest possible rating: something I rarely do. It's just that good!!

I enjoyed "We Still Secrets", but, as with any documentary, you never know on whose side the director/producers are. Eye-witness statements are convincing, but are we fools to believe them? It all starts well portraying Julian Assange as a reckless and fun fighter for truth. You cannot help but feel that he is fighting on behalf of all of us. And then, suddenly, the documentary takes different turn and depicts Assange as a self-indulgent and selfish dirty man hungry for fame, with a complete lack of compassion, fathering children all over the world having relationships with way too eager female fans (two of which go to police because, allegedly, Assange had unprotected sex with them and then refused to provide a certificate confirming he was HIV clear). Yes, the second half of "We Steal Secrets" felt a bit like a front page of a tabloid newspaper, with an array of self-important individuals sharing their point of view. In the end, I felt I was not any wiser about Assange, or the Bradley Manning, or the rise and fall of WikiLeaks. But this documentary will definitely keep you thinking.

A story of a guy selling? Seeking fame for a worthy cause and convincing others to be a platform for others to pass on Secrets, to expose their hypocrisy. Moral of this well told true story, whatever cause state secrets/grass of what ever level/whistleblower they all get affected in some way and this is a story of one that failed and the domino affect and consequences.

Well put together. Surprisingly convincing.

Very good dvd arrived on time

I really like this movie, would recommend!