We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks (2013)
85%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
3 wins & 10 nominations total
As fascinating as it is provocative, We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks presents another documentary triumph for director Alex Gibney, as well as a troubling look at one of the more meaningful issues of our time
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is like a rollercoaster ride through the world of digital privacy and secrecy. It’s a wild journey that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the internet and the power of information. With expert witnesses and commentators, this documentary is both shocking and informative, and will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. So buckle up and get ready for a wild ride!
Production Company(ies)
Tremolo Productions,
Distributor
Focus Features
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some disturbing violent images, language and sexual material
Year of Release
2013
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:2h 10m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 24, 2013 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 10, 2013
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
We Steal Secrets, Wikileaks, documentary, Alex Gibney, Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, Robert Manne, Michael Hayden, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, Heather Brooke, privacy, secrecy, information, intellectual property rights, digital age, conspiracy theories, whistleblowers, sexual material, language, disturbing violent images, R rating, Focus Features, Marc Shmuger, Alexis Bloom, reviewed by Amy Taubin, Tim Robey, Donald Clarke, Charlotte O’Sullivan, Peter Bradshaw, directed by Alex Gibney, written by Alex Gibney, produced by Alex Gibney, MPAA rating, box office, gross USA, limited release, streaming, rent/buy, documentary triumph, provocative, troubling, meaningful issues, critic reviews, audience score, documentary genre
Worldwide gross: $457,517
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $581,206
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,706
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 63,381
US/Canada gross: $166,243
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $211,186
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,538
US/Canada opening weekend: $27,689
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $35,175
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,320
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Chelsea Manning – Self
Robert Manne – Self
Michael Hayden – Self
Daniel Domscheit-Berg – Self
Heather Brooke – Self
Alex Gibney – Director, Producer, Writer
Marc Shmuger – Producer
Alexis Bloom – Producer
Director(s)
Alex Gibney
Writer(s)
Alex Gibney
Producer(s)
Alex Gibney, Marc Shmuger, Alexis Bloom
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
3 wins & 10 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (83) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (76) | Rotten (7)
[A] most compelling documentaries focused directly on the issues of intellectual property rights and definitions of privacy and secrecy in the digital age.
August 28, 2019
Amy Taubin
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Words on the screen, their power to free you, and also entrap you – if this isn’t the internet’s deadly blessing, what is?
July 18, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Having recently released documentaries on clerical abuse, Mario Cuomo, Park Avenue, Lance Armstrong and, now, WikiLeaks, Gibney seems in danger of becoming an actualité machine.
July 14, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
We Steal Secrets is much concerned with conspiracy theories and may well wind up fuelling new ones.
July 12, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Charlotte O’Sullivan
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
A thorough and decently intentioned work, though it accepts a little too glibly the more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger line against Assange: that he is a fascinating radical who simply became a paranoid authoritarian.
July 11, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
This is saying something important. Check your Facebook settings.
July 11, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
D’Arcy Doran
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Alex Gibney moves into an elite class of filmmakers with this timely tale of tormented whistleblowers.
June 19, 2020
David Lamble
Bay Area Reporter
We Steal Secrets is a surprisingly even-handed look at a controversy with more than its share of fanatics on both sides.
November 21, 2018
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Examiner
Comprehensive, eloquent and provocative.
August 23, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Joseph Walsh
CineVue
The film has access to some fascinating expert witnesses and commentators.
January 3, 2018
Lynden Barber
Limelight
We’re left instead with an impression as imperfect as the world Bradley Manning tried-and perhaps ultimately failed-to change.
October 21, 2017
Sarah Marrs
Cinesnark
We Steal Secrets: The Story Of WikiLeaks is a great documentary, not perfect by any means, but shocking and informative — and sometimes you can’t ask for too much more than that.
February 6, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Andrew Jones
HeyUGuys…
Plot
A documentary that facts the creation of Julian Assange’s controversial website, which facilitated the largest security breach in U.S. history.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features interviews with Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, and other key players in the Wikileaks scandal.
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