Snowden (2016): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Snowden is a 2016 action thriller directed by Oliver Stone, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Melissa Leo and Zachary Quinto. It is partly based on The Snowden Files by Luke Harding. It runs 2 hours 14 minutes and earned $37.4 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. Critics gave it 61% on Rotten Tomatoes and 58 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.3/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 14m (134 min)
- Director
- Oliver Stone
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Open Road Films
- Budget
- $40M
- Based on
- The Snowden Files by Luke Harding
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Snowden About?
The premise of Snowden without spoilers, adapted from The Snowden Files by Luke Harding. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Disillusioned by the National Security Agency's vast digital surveillance programs, Edward Snowden makes the courageous decision to expose the truth to the world. Leaving behind his high-secret role, he leaks classified information, sparking a global debate about privacy, security, and government overreach. His actions earn him both widespread support and intense criticism, forever changing the landscape of intelligence gathering and civil liberties.
Snowden Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- internet
- mass surveillance
- nsa
- whistleblower
- surveillance-state
- journalism
- based on true story
- based on real person
- cryptography
- wikileaks
- surveillance
- presidential election
+38 more Show fewer
- trust
- sign language
- epilepsy
- hunting
- tokyo japan
- geneva switzerland
- hotel room
- hong kong
- traitor
- responsibility
- treason
- rubik's cube
- operations center
- u.s. capitol building
- edward snowden
- fugitive from justice
- fugitive
- encrypted backup
- u.s. national security agency
- catastrophic site failure
- seizure
- tegretol
- fisa court order
- pheasant hunting
- the guardian the newspaper
- spy
- romance subplot
- xkeyscore
- espionage act
- sigaba code encryption machine
- cia training center virginia
- hawaii
- nonlinear timeline
- flashback
- microwave oven
- hotel
- teaching someone to pole dance
- year 2007
Snowden Cast
Joseph Gordon-Levitt leads the cast, with Melissa Leo and Zachary Quinto. Directed by Oliver Stone; 4 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Oliver Stone
More from Oliver Stone
More films directed by Oliver Stone, best-rated first: Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK and Natural Born Killers.
Snowden Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Snowden 61% on Rotten Tomatoes and 58 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.3/10.
-
IMDb 7.3 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 61% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 70%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 58 Metascore
User score 7.1
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 71% User score
See on TMDB -
Letterboxd 3.3 /5
93 ratings
See on Letterboxd -
Movie Insider 3.1 /5
See on Movie Insider
Snowden Plot Summary
What happens in Snowden from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In 2013, Edward Snowden, portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, arranges a secret meeting in Hong Kong with documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, played by Melissa Leo, and journalist Glenn Greenwald, brought to life by Zachary Quinto. During this critical rendezvous, they engage in discussions about releasing the sensitive information that Snowden possesses, revealing the illegal mass surveillance operations conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA).
Full summary
The whole story of Snowden, scene by scene
Snowden Box Office & Budget
Snowden grossed $37.4 million worldwide on a $40 million budget, 93% of what it cost. $21.6 million came from the US and Canada and $15.8 million (42%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$37.4M
93% of its budget back
- US & Canada
- $21.6M
- International
- $15.8M
- Budget
- $40M
Snowden Trailers & Videos
2 videos: 1 trailer and 1 teaser.
- Teaser SNOWDEN - Official Teaser Trailer for #SnowdenMovie - In Theaters September 16
How Well Do You Know Snowden?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who directed the film 'Snowden'?
Cars in Snowden
27 cars on screen, including the 2011 Ford Explorer and the 2002 Jeep Liberty.
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2011 Ford Explorer Minor role -
2002 Jeep Liberty Minor role -
2013 Lada 4x4 M 21214 Minor role -
2005 Mercedes-Benz CLS C219 Minor role
Snowden Also Known As
15 alternative titles, including “스노든” and “斯諾登風暴”.
- Also known as
-
- 스노든
- 斯諾登風暴
- Сноуден
- Σνόουντεν
- המרגל - סנודן
- Snowden: Herói ou Traidor
- 斯诺登
- 神鬼駭客：史諾登
- Сноудън
- Snoudens
- スノーデン
- สโนว์เดน อัจฉริยะจารกรรมเขย่ามหาอำนาจ, სნოუდენი
+3 more Show fewer
- Mật Vụ Snowden
- اسنودن
- Snoudenas
Seen Snowden?
Movies Like Snowden
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Citizenfour, Official Secrets and We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks.
-
Citizenfour 2014 -
Official Secrets 2019 -
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks 2013 -
The Fifth Estate 2013 -
Enemy of the State 1998 -
A Good American 2017 -
The Whistle Blower 1986 -
Jason Bourne 2016 -
Winner 2024 -
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers 2009 -
Risk 2017 -
Dirty Wars 2013
Snowden FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, the book behind it and post-credit scenes of Snowden, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Snowden?
Snowden runs 2 hours 14 minutes (134 minutes).
When was Snowden released?
Snowden was released on September 16, 2016.
Who directed Snowden?
Snowden was directed by Oliver Stone.
More films by Oliver Stone Who is in the cast of Snowden?
Snowden stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Melissa Leo and Zachary Quinto, among 4 credited actors.
How much did Snowden make at the box office?
Snowden grossed $37.4 million worldwide ($21.6 million domestic, $15.8 million international) on a budget of $40 million.
How is Snowden rated?
Snowden has 7.3/10 on IMDb, 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, 58 on Metacritic and 71% on TMDB.
Is Snowden based on a book?
Yes. Snowden is partly adapted from The Snowden Files by Luke Harding.
Does Snowden have a post-credit scene?
No. Snowden has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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