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6 whistleblower movies in the last decade to watch

By Flora / 26 Dec 2019 (Thursday)

There’s something interesting when it comes to movies featuring whistleblowers. They are like the human superheroes the world needs for these principled individuals or ensemble managed to expose wrongdoings from big and powerful corporations at the risk of their livelihoods and freedoms. When these stories are adapted to the big screen, mere mortals like us chase for the feel-good after-movie emotion and these movies definitely delivered. Here are the six great films about whistleblowers that we’ve seen in recent years. Let us know which movie you’ll add to the list!

Erin Brockovich (2000)

The biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh is the dramatisation of the true story of Erin Brockovich, a low-wage lawyer in a small law firm who fought against the energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company over contaminated water. Julia Roberts starred as the title character and even won an Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe award for her performance, and Soderbergh scored a nomination for a Best Director title at the Academy Awards.

What a great scene by Roberts!

Spotlight (2015)

Starring an ensemble cast including Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, John Slattery, Brian d’Arcy James and Stanley Tucci, the investigative-journalism story won the Best Picture at the Oscars in 2015. It follows The Boston Globe’s team where they investigated and uncovered cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests.

Snowden (2016)

Edward Snowden may be one of the most significant and famous whistleblower of the last decade, who revealed classified documents about the National Security Agency’s surveillance practices, which no doubt reshaped our views on privacy and the dangers of the government’s surveillance on technology. Directed by Oliver Stone, Joseph Gordon-Levitt puts on a solid performance as Snowden, along with an ensemble cast including Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson and Timothy Olyphant.

Be afraid...

The Post (2018)

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, The Post depicts the true story of attempts by journalists at The Washington Post to publish the Pentagon Papers, classified documents documenting the 20-year involvement of the United States government in the Vietnam War.

Dark Waters (2019)

Mark Ruffalo plays Robert Bilott, a corporate defence attorney who was in a legal battle against DuPont over the dumping toxic chemical waste into Parkersburg, West Virginia’s water supply, affecting over 70,000 townspeople and caused the death of numerous livestock. The film is directed by Todd Haynes, also stars Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham and Bill Pullman.

Dark Waters opens InCinemas 2 Jan 2020.

Official Secrets (2019)

Starring Keira Knightley as Katharine Fun, a British government employee who leaked a secret memo about an illegal NSA operation to pressure the UN security council to sanction a war in Iraq.
The spy-action thriller unravels the conspiracy and cockup by the British establishment and one woman’s tenacity to save lives.

Official Secrets is showing InCinemas now.

What is your favourite whistleblower movie of all-time? Or did we miss your favourite on this list? Let us know in the comments below!

Whistleblower movies Dark Waters Official Secrets The Post Spotlight Erin Brockovich Snowden

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6 whistleblower movies in the last decade to watch