The Fifth Estate is, quite literally, the people who aim to keep other estates (such as the government, wealthy elite, press/media, etc) in check. These people are called whistleblowers, citizen journalists, watchdogs and, now infamously, WikiLeaks.

The film begins in 2010, just as WikiLeaks is becoming a recognized website. Julian Assange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness) teams up with an early thirties tech-guru Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl, Inglorious Bastards), and the two swiftly get WikiLeaks into the mainstream. The film’s climax comes when classified military documents are leaked to the website, which could alter U.S. history and the battle between what’s right vs. wrong plagues Julian and Daniel.

Julian and Daniel have competing views as to which course of action to take next. Julian wants to publish the original documents sans editing; while Daniel feels innocent lives could be at risk if certain facts are not omitted. This tension, however, doesn’t have enough of an emotional pull to get audiences to feel strongly one way or the other. In fact, the most interesting part of the film was not the dynamic between these two semi-flat characters, but rather it was the explanation into what WikiLeaks actually was. The infographics setting up the scenes were a good touch, as well as the unexpected surreal moments that took cues from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Being that national security and whistleblowers are a hot-button topic right now, this film should have been a knockout-opening weekend, but even a hot topic can’t overpower a weak story.

The Fifth Estate is based on actual events, taking some liberties, of course, but nonetheless tells the story of the rise of WikiLeaks and the crazy life of the man behind the madness. Rumor has it that real-life Julian Assange was completely anti the film’s production so much so that he tried to persuade Benedict Cumberbatch to drop out. Being that national security and whistleblowers are a hot-button topic right now, this film should have been a knockout opening weekend, but even a hot topic can’t overpower a weak story; the film opened at a lousy $1.7 million.

Overall, The Fifth Estate is spread thin, focusing more on the personal life of Julian and Daniel rather than investing in the crux of their morality crisis. This noncommittal viewpoint of a “half WikiLeaks documentary/ half dramatic narrative” made for, ultimately, one mediocre film.