“Snowden” is a 2016 biographical film directed by Oliver Stone, the director of the 2012 documentary “Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States.” “Snowden” marked the lowest opening of Stone’s career for a film playing in just over 2,000 theaters.

The political thriller began filming in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 16, 2015 and was released in the United States on Sept. 16, 2016.

Based on the books “The Snowden Files” by Luke Harding and “Time of the Octopus” by Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden’s Russian lawyer, the film starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“The Night Before”) as Edward Snowden, the American computer professional who leaked classified information from the National Security Agency to the mainstream media in June 2013.

Snowden referred to Kuchereha’s book as very “Fyodor” in the sense that none of it is realistic and the film received mixed reviews. The film recapitulates things that were conversed in a more captivating demeanor in the documentary “Citizenfour,” Laura Poitras’ account of her meeting with Snowden. “Snowden,” regardless of solid performances from all the cast members, seldom comes to life dramatically.

Snowden joins the Army and breaks both of his legs but continues training for two weeks until he’s told he cannot go back. He proceeds towards the special forces where he takes the technology contracting test for the Central Intelligence Agency in less than one-fourth of the average time. Finally, he is told to find terrorists in the internet haystack.

Snowden comes to the conclusion that there is something going on inside the government that’s really wrong and he can’t ignore it and he wants to get this data to the world. Snowden feels like he’s made to do it and that if he doesn’t, he doesn’t know anyone else that can get this data to the world. Now the government begins their pursuit of Snowden and his affiliates.

In an interview with the University of Chicago’s political institute, Snowden said he took an oath of service to serve and protect the Constitution of the United States of America, not an oath of secrecy. He claimed the reason for his whistleblowing was that private claims by the U.S. government became completely divorced from the private realities in the intelligence force.

“Congressmen felt the public needed to know about these programs breaching security yet the most senior official in the United States, General James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, felt comfortable enough in his position to lie under oath,” Snowden said.

Snowden was asked on what conditions would he come back to the U.S to face trial, where he said in the circumstance that he is given a fair trial, with public interest defenses, he would make his case to the jury.

“But the espionage act doesn’t allow a public interest defense, you’re not allowed to speak the word whistleblower at trial, as found in the case of Thomas Drake,” Snowden said.

Snowden’s response at the University of Chicago Political Institute of what he thought of the movie, was that he doesn’t care how he is portrayed, implying it wasn’t realistic, as long as it provokes everyone to question government, democracy, security and what kind of world we want to live in.