Citizenfour Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Citizenfour Blu-ray Movie Review

Truth is stranger than fiction. And more dangerous.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 13, 2015

Considering the establishment and deep integration of the digital age into every area of modern life -- "cool" has become "convenience" has become "necessity" has become "addiction" has become "big brother" -- the always-on, interconnected, all-knowing modern technology pool has injected countless challenges into the very core notions of safety and security and privacy and freedom. The latter two concepts, at one point in Citizenfour, are proven more interconnected under the umbrella of modern society and the invisible deletion of rights than many may believe them to be. Cyber terror, cyber espionage, and the significantly higher likelihood that sensitive digital material can be moved, manipulated, viewed, stolen, and abused with much greater ease than traditional paper documents kept under lock and key and under armed guard at government facilities are reason enough for concern, but so too is the notion that, in the post-9/11 world, individual privacy has all but evaporated under the all-seeing eye, all-hearing ear, all-recording digital reach of government intrusion and unwieldy bureaucracy under the pretenses of safety and security. Citizenfour shares the real-time, real-life story of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden's tell-all revelation as it relates to the extent that the United States government unlawfully spies on its citizens, tracks their every digital move -- often under false pretenses and backdoor data manipulation -- and expands its reach to nations and individuals around the world, all in the name of safety and security from terrorists.

The whistleblower.

Edward Snowden embodies the divisive figure. His actions have transcended traditional two-party divisions and he has been both praised and vilified by various individuals across the political spectrum. He's a hero to those who champion governmental transparency and individual secrecy, the elimination of warrantless and otherwise illegal spying, a drastic reduction in government tinkering in the daily lives of its citizens, and a smaller federal footprint. He's villain to those who choose to wield the sort of power the modern information age provides in the name of ensuring security, or for their own nefarious gains, a line Snowden argues is becoming alarmingly blurred and quickly wiped away. The film puts together a highlight package, essentially, of his hidden-away, in-seclusion time with Reporters Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill and Filmmaker Laura Poitras in which he essentially opens the vault, pulls back the curtain, and unleashes the full extent of illegal and unconstitutional government spying. Taking place mostly in a Hong Kong hotel room, Citizenfour -- named for Snowden's online alias -- pieces together the entire narrative, from the revelations to the reports, from the explosion in the press to Snowden's search for asylum.

What's at the heart of Citizenfour -- below the surface of its compelling narrative -- are the dueling questions of whether the citizenry should openly accept and applaud the government's reach into the lives of everyday people or, on the flip side, just how outraged individuals should be with the government and, much more importantly, what anybody's going to do about it. It's one thing to spill the beans, write the story, and see it plastered all over the television with talking heads frantically clashing over the need to balance safety and security, of doing "whatever it takes in the name of security" versus "defending the founding principles at all costs." Yet perhaps more startling than Snowden's revelations is the skillful ease with which the narrative so quickly shifted to demonize the messenger. The word "Snowden" has effectively become a hot potato political football with some calling for his execution and others hailing him a hero. The back-and-forth quickly shifted the focus from the details of the leak to the man who leaked them. The question is whether the story begins and ends with Snowden or if the repercussions of his revelations will run deeper than his name and actions. Only history can decide, but Citizenfour is certainly a good place to start the effort of figuring it out.

What once sounded like the far-flung drumbeats of lunatic fringe conspiracy theorists is now an all too real reality. Citizenfour takes the breadth and depth of the Snowden leaks and compacts them into a tightly woven and chilling yet approachable film that's practically a real-life Thriller and Spy movie that challenges its audience to not simply follow a narrative but to engage in the world the film presents. Even as it's little more than exchanges in a hotel room -- with the real people, not actors -- the intensity level soars as the narrative takes shape, as the story begins leaking to the press, as Snowden's life unravels before the audience's eyes. Throughout the film, and early on in particular, Snowden engages in simple yet critical countermeasures to ensure his privacy. Little things like unplugging the telephone, swapping SD cards, and changing passwords become key moments that seem to portend danger but guarantee temporary safety from Big Brother's all-reaching tentacles. But the film is at its best when it's simply conveying information and exposing the extent of the government spying, informing the audience of everything that's happened, why, and what to expect from it all.

Citizenfour Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Citizenfour was't necessarily made on-the-fly. It's a professional production though certainly minimalist in nature, and the result is a picture quality that adequately coveys the visual information but accomplishes little more. The digital photography falls on the middle end of the scale. It's noticeably flat and glossy but it still manages to convey enough detail, sharpness, and color depth to satisfy general requirements. Noise, banding, macroblocking, and a general pastiness are evident throughout, though never usually to any alarming rate. Most of the egregious examples are limited to television clips pulled from sources like CNN and C-SPAN. In genereal, however, viewers will appreciate the transfer's most basic qualities. Skin and clothing detail satisfy, even when it's Snowden's white T-shirt set against a predominantly white hotel room background. A few outdoors shots produce some impressive natural greens, but vibrant coloring isn't much of a factor otherwise. It's not a showstopper, but all things considered Anchor Bay's presentation satsfies.

Citizenfour Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Citizenfour spills the beans on Blu-ray with an understated yet effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Things begin with an appropriately eerie effect to open, a light yet room-filling hum that sets a minimalist yet dark tone. The track isn't stuffed with detailed music or effects; it's instead a dialogue intensive experience that presents the spoken word with fairly good clarity despite the cloak-and-dagger nature of the filmmaking process. There's an unmistakable hollowness to bits of it, and mild hiss underscores a few moments, but dialogue is usually clear and effortless. A few minor effects dot the track, including an intermittent fire alarm blasting in the background -- producing one of the film's most uniquely intense moments -- and smaller bits like a ringing telephone or background television sounds, both of which come through clearly enough. Booming thunder lingers across the stage to begin the third act, representing probably the most dynamically involved moment the track has to offer.

Citizenfour Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Citizenfour contains deleted scenes, sit-down interviews, and a short documentary on government spying.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Methods Can't Be Questioned (7:49), The Strength of Your Beliefs (2:37), and A Scandal Is What It Is (3:29).
• New York Times Talks with Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden, and David Carr (1080i, 1:00:02): A lengthy sit-down with the people central to Citizenfour. This is a dynamic piece that covers a broad scope of details, including the process of making the film more than a simple conveyance of information, Snowden's initial outreaches, his work with the filmmakers and reporters, worries during the filmmaking process, going public with the story, challenging the government, and much more.
• Film Society of Lincoln Center Q&A with Laura Poitras and Dennis Lim (1080i, 28:22): The Director discusses the filmmaking process, including the project's history, work with Snowden, editing the film together, Snowden's life after the revelations, and more.
• "The Program" -- A New York Times Op-Doc by Laura Poitras (1080i, 8:36): A short documentary concerning government spying with William Binney.

Citizenfour Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Just a few days prior to this review's publication, in the first debate of the 2016 presidential campaign season, presidential hopefuls Chris Christie (New Jersey Governor) and Rand Paul (Kentucky Senator) exchanged a fiery salvo over the very core issue presented in Citizenfour. Christie favored the bulk collection of data in an effort to stymie potential terror attacks while Paul championed the notion of Constitutional protections and due process under the law. The point is that the story told in Citizenfour remains relevant even up-to-the-minute and will no doubt continue to shape the debate -- and the course of the country and quite possibly humanity -- for a long tome to come. The film itself is marvelous, a true-to-life Thriller that's more intense and palpably realistic (because it is real) that most anything out there. It's got relevancy on its side, too, and it represents first-rate storytelling that, no matter whether one falls on Christie's side, Paul's side, or the side of the shadow government, represents must-see cinema. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray is a winner, too, yielding good video and audio along with several quality supplements. Very highly recommended.