The Fifth Estate will polarise viewers

The difference in the way the media works pre- and post-Wikileaks underlines his influence, desirable or otherwise, but Assange’s modus operandum required stepping on so many toes on the way to gaining the notoriety he craved that he now appears to have no friends left at all, bar the gate guards at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Bill Condon’s biopic-lite approaches Assange’s story from the point of view of Daniel Domscheit-Berg, once a business partner and confidante of Assange’s but now – for reasons explored in the film – considered a loathed enemy (he’s also the author of the book on which the film is based). From this once-removed perspective, the rise, rise and rise (and then calamitous fall) of Wikipedia is examined in a way that both entertains and informs.

Still from the movie  The Fifth Estate (2013)

The excitement surrounding the development of a platform designed to allow whistleblowers to safely expose corruption excited many then, as it still does now, and the means to make such an idea a reality were still a relative novelty when Assange founded the website, which is what made him such a popular and controversial figure.

But having the power to topple governments with the click of a mouse can easily affect a man’s psyche, and Assange’s arrogance and hubris is well-documented in reality, regardless of the way he is depicted on screen. Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a performance that deserves at least a couple of awards, Assange’s Australian rasp perfectly in place and the combination of intellectually superior bully and insecure child brilliantly pitched. You won’t like the character, but you will be impressed with the scope of his vision and his single-minded devotion to achieving his goal.

Still from the movie The Fifth Estate (2013)

Like the Wikileaks website itself (which some feel is a necessity, while others are worried that it can put people in danger), The Fifth Estate will polarise viewers. That should be seen as a mark of its quality and the emotional connection it inspires, rather than its being an argument one way or another.