The intertwined story of Julian Assange and Bradley Manning is the stuff that documentarians dream of. Two men, varied in their aims and backgrounds but united in their desire to expose hypocrisy, find their pursuit of truth tarnished by questionable actions and complicated legal repercussions. In We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks, Alex Gibney (Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God) unravels the tale ripped from international headlines, delving into the scandal that has become modern investigative journalism’s holy grail.
The plight of Assange, as chronicled in recent local feature Underground, spans decades of agitation. From unleashing worms within military computer systems, to encouraging whistleblowers to share top-secret material, the charismatic Australian founder of WikiLeaks has rarely avoided the spotlight. Manning, the US army analyst accused of providing the site’s most damaging documents, was shy and retiring – both in his professional life, and his personal struggles with sexual identity. His actions stemmed from an inability to watch as his country took advantage of their clout, but he did not seek the accompanying attention.
Again tackling a topic so complex and compelling that it can only be true, Gibney charts the intersection of activist and soldier that saw both rise to global notoriety. As in his previous features Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, the writer/director plays it straight as he compiles archival and interview footage to furnish his exploration, the cyber-thriller facts potent, pertinent, provocative and probing in themselves without the need for overt commentary.
Yet, obvious conclusions are evident as the film plots the rise and fall of its two central subjects through rape allegations and treason charges. Though Assange’s unwillingness to participate and Manning’s current detention forces a reliance on existing material, Gibney shows little reluctance in emphasising their unexpected parallels. Of course, vast differences exist in their stories, style of involvement, intentions and outcomes; however in the plethora of perspectives circling their personas, both authentic and ascribed by the press, similarity springs. For their own reasons, and with their own motivations, Assange and Manning have become heroes to some and harbingers of doom to others, forever linked in their controversy.
Accordingly, though meticulously steeped in the minutiae that surrounded their fated crossing of paths, We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks remains grounded in Assange and Manning’s humanity above all else. This approach is not without its flaws, as seen in the sprawling running time and inclusion of superfluous details, but it does ensure the film never strays from its portrayal of the two as men, not martyrs. The end result inspires thought, not only on its subjects and their situations, but in the ways in which idealistic acts can stray into unwanted territory. In the ramifications of the pursuit of the greater good that sits at the core of Gibney’s ambitious feature, there’s much to be troubled about.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks
Director: Alex Gibney
USA, 2013, 130 mins
Release date: 4 July
Distributor: Universal
Rated: M
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