The Fifth Estate (film)

The Fifth Estate is a 2013 thriller film directed by Bill Condon, about the newsleaking website WikiLeaks. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as its editorinchief and founder Julian Assange, and Daniel Brhl as its former spokesperson Daniel DomscheitBerg. Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Alicia Vikander, Stanley Tucci, and Laura Linney are featured in supporting roles. The films screenplay was written by Josh Singer based inpart on DomscheitBergs book Inside WikiLeaks My Time with Julian Assange and the Worlds Most Dangerous Website 2011, as well as WikiLeaks Inside Julian Assanges War on Secrecy 2011 by British journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding. The films name is a term used to describe the people who operate in the manner of journalists outside the normal constraints imposed on the mainstream media.

The story opens in 2010, with the release of the Afghan War Logs. It then flashes back to 2007, where journalist Daniel DomscheitBerg meets Australian computer hacker Julian Assange for the first time, at the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin. Daniels interest in online activism has led him to Assange, with whom he has corresponded by email. They begin working together on WikiLeaks, a website devoted to releasing information being withheld from the public while retaining anonymity for its sources. Their first major target is a private Swiss bank, Julius Baer, whose Cayman Islands branch has been engaged in illegal activities. Despite Baers filing of a lawsuit and obtaining an injunction, the judge dissolves the injunction, allowing Julian and Daniel to reclaim the domain name. As their confidence increases, the two push forward in publishing information over the next three years, including secrets on Scientology, revealing Sarah Palins email account, and the membership list of the British National Party.At first Daniel enjoys changing the world, viewing WikiLeaks as a noble enterprise and Assange as a mentor. However, the relationship between the two becomes strained over time. Daniel loses his job and problems arise in his relationship, particularly concerning the BNP membership leak, which also revealed the addresses of the people involved, and caused several to lose their jobs. Assange openly mocks Daniels concerns about these issues, implying his own life has been more troubling. Assanges abrasive manner and actions, such as abandoning Daniel at his parents house after having accepted their dinner invitation, only deepen the strain further. Interspersed throughout the film are flashbacks hinting at Assanges troubled childhood and involvement in a suspicious cult, and that Assanges obsession with WikiLeaks has more to do with childhood trauma than wanting to improve the world. Daniel begins to fear that Assange may be closer to a conman than a mentor. He al

Source: Wikipedia