We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks
Focus World | Release Date: May 24, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanMay 23, 2013
The vastly divergent paths of Assange and Manning make up the most fascinating aspects of this relentlessly compelling film. Read full review
91
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMay 24, 2013
The results are far more exciting than most Hollywood espionage thrillers. Read full review
91
The PlaylistGabe ToroMay 22, 2013
Despite a lack of access to Manning and Assange, We Steal Secrets is a vital document of a pivotal moment in world history that we’re still experiencing as we speak. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenMay 23, 2013
Make no mistake, "We Steal Secrets" is a sprawling, ambitious, major work — a gripping exploration of power, personality, technology and the crushing weight that can come to bear on those who find themselves in its combined path. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaJun 7, 2013
It's complicated. And it's fascinating. Read full review
85
NPRMark JenkinsMay 23, 2013
Even the movie's title, or rather the source of it, is a surprise. Not to spoil the fun, but it's neither Assange nor one of his allies who nonchalantly acknowledges that "we steal secrets." Read full review
80
The TelegraphTim RobeyJul 18, 2013
There are no shattering revelations here – if Gibney’s canny gathering of various narratives, shimmering score and cool graphics give his film the goose-pimply intrigue of a spy thriller, it just happens to be one you’ve already seen. It’s also one in which the subplot, if anything, takes over from the main plot. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonTrevor JohnstonJul 12, 2013
Events are still unfolding, so this is a snapshot in time, but Gibney’s conscientious, revealing document proves a mine of valuable information and affecting emotional insights. Read full review
80
EmpirePhilip WildingJul 8, 2013
Alex Gibney adds to his forensic examinations of Enron and Abu Ghraib with another fine documentary. Undeterred by grey areas or the hostility of his subject, the filmmaker tackles one of the stories of our times with dynamism and smarts. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 6, 2013
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is at once an awkward mingling of two complex life stories and a gripping, necessary look at how information is gathered, shared and, yes, stolen. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinMay 20, 2013
By the time this twisty, probing, altogether enthralling movie hits its final notes, the crimes against the Constitution and humanity have been upstaged by personal demons. Which is our woe as well. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMar 21, 2013
Unfolding like an espionage thriller but with a methodical journalistic skill at organizing a mountain of facts, the film raises stimulating questions about transparency and freedom of information in a world in which governments and corporations have plenty to hide. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsJun 6, 2013
Gibney is as dramatic a storyteller as the Hollywood directors with whom he competes for our attention, and he employs a big bag of tricks. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle SmithMay 23, 2013
Despite Gibney’s best efforts to put a halo on Manning, the enormity of what the soldier did towers over what has been done to him. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd May 22, 2013
Truthfully, Assange’s absence from We Steal Secrets—regardless of the reasons for it—is a major liability, and not just because it prevents Gibney from truly engaging with his headline-grabbing subject. Without a strong personality at its center, the film often feels unbalanced, lurching awkwardly between basic infotainment concerns and a sharper, more specific agenda. Read full review
60
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldMay 23, 2013
For all its faults, “We Steal Secrets” reminds us that despite the potential of WikiLeaks, its project of truth and consequences remains treacherous and complicated in practice. Read full review
60
Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekMay 21, 2013
Gibney, a prolific and skilled documentarian, marshals and organizes a raft of information as deftly as anyone could wish. But his conclusions are murkier than they might be. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid FearMay 21, 2013
You’ll leave knowing slightly more about the who, what and why of WikiLeaks; you’ll also wish the whole shebang didn’t fell like such a tone-deaf data dump overall. Read full review
60
The GuardianJeremy KayMar 21, 2013
The latest documentary to roll out of the Alex Gibney factory looks at the life and times of the crusading website and explores related themes such as freedom of information and the moral responsibility of activism, but is far less illuminating about its silver-haired standard-bearer. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 21, 2013
The conflict at the core of the WikiLeaks saga is dramatically lacking. Read full review
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