I was not aware of Chelsea Manning's transition when making this video 9:20 yes, it is common for such calls to be made for motivation. The problem here is that the movie is using it to bolster Snowden's image, as I said in the review. Now stop commenting it. 10:00 that's supposed to say "become" (thx Sgt_Hoagie) Also, if you think I'm saying Snowden is a hero or traitor: You need to listen more carefully, for you are only revealing your own ignorance.

Nurse here. You absolutely can walk on broken legs, it’s called fractures where the bones retain their form but have been weakened by cracks forming on them usually from stress causing them more likely to break fully or in medical terms become a different kind of fracture like comminuted, oblique, etc...

During my basic training in 1988, our drill sergeants also had us using the phrase "Rangers" and "Special Forces" during cadence calls. It's a motivational technique that is decades old.

As someone who walked around on a broken leg for a few weeks during basic training, I'd like to point out that you're wrong about it being impossible. I broke my left tibia fairly cleanly (transverse fracture, bone stayed mostly in place) near the ankle, and when I went to the doctor, they said I probably had tendonitis. They gave me some codeine and a chit for a week of no PT. In that time, the bone healed enough that I was able to walk and jog with just minor pain. A week later, I did an obstacle course, and couldn't stand up the next morning. X-rays showed the bone had broken weeks earlier.

I'm in favor of what Snowden did. But this movie is embarrassing. Why all the fiction? It doesn't help Snowden's case. And telling not showing? What is this a B movie?

"Everyone seems to have an opinion without having an understanding" that is probably the relevant quote in modern society ever said.

People who live in glass houses should beware of throwing stones... 1) Snowden was NOT "waylaid" in Moscow. Nor was his inability to get a flight out because "his infamy had become too great". The US had cancelled his passport, which meant that when he needed to change planes in Moscow he was unable to do so and was forced to remain in the transit area of Moscow's airport. 2) Snowden was charged under the Espionage Act. This is the same statute which was used to convict people of disloyalty in World War 1 for such "heinous" acts as opposing conscription. A famous example is Schenck v the United States, the case from which comes the infamous line (from Oliver Wendell Holmes) about the First Amendment not protecting those who falsely shout "fire" in a crowded theatre. (Something overturned decades later in Brandenburg v Ohio.) In yet another example (the Berger Case) a conviction under it was used to justify invoking section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, and thereby deny Berger the seat he had been elected to in the House of Representatives. Berger himself was sentenced to 20 years, and only escaped that fate when the courts overturned his conviction on a technicality. In short, the thing is an abomination which needs to be repealed. 3) "One did not flee his country". Ellsberg himself has said that Snowden would not get a fair trial under the Espionage Act and has said that Snowden did the right thing by nit waiting around to be convicted.. 4) The Henry David Thoreau homily. Thoreau wasn't charged under the Espionage Act (which did not exist in his day). He was charged with failing to pay his taxes and objected because of the way those taxes would be used (namely, to fight the Mexican-American War). He was tried and convicted but spent only a single night in jail--because somebody (probably his aunt) subsequently paid the missing taxes against his wishes. In short, you use a quote from a guy who spent one night in jail to piously lecture someone more likely to face 20 YEARS in jail. That is simply bizarre! What you are basically advocating is that Snowden play martyr. I look forward to you berating Chelsea Manning (also charged under the Espionage Act) for accepting Obama's commutation instead of spending her full 35 year sentence in jail. 5) "I'm not going to be scrambling jets..." Obama's famous remake did not prevent someone in Washington ordering ("ya vole, mine president") or hinting to ("who will rid me of this meddlesome leaker?") America's loyal minions in France, Spain, etc to block Bolivia's president returning home from Russia when there was a chance Snowden might be somewhere onboard. 6) Your nitpick over the Ranger/Special Forces business turns a molehill into a mountain. For you are effectively basing your entire argument on a chant.1 Nowhere else is it suggested that Snowden was doing anything other than normal basic training. BTW, while the US Rangers are not Special Forces, they both ARE US Army special operations forces.

I remember in 1998-99 talking to fellow COMPSCI/IT students about how we knew our government had the money and technology to log all phone calls and internet traffic but we all knew it would never happen since moral people wouldn't let it happen. WE WERE WRONG and it ended up being far worse than even our most wildest imaginations. SNOWDEN is a hero, the very definition! PRISM is still operating as well as dozens of other programs and NOTHING has been done about it!!

Criticism of Snowden for not going to jail is a bit harsh I think. Throwing his life away now isn't going to change anything, people who hate Snowden aren't going to change their minds. Look what happened to Chelsey Manning, despite all the unfair treatment she received, most people simply forgot about her.

Just a small thing, its very possible to "Walk on broken legs" for weeks in military basic training. The term is stress fractures, and you can walk on them for months at a time, and it often happens in the military with new recruits. Though it is far more common in hip fractures. And the jumping from a bunk is actually a common thing. You will have stress fractures, then take an impact hopping out of a rack. Thats why they tell you not to do it.

How the heck did you burn cereal?

In defense of Snowden's pasta cooking skills, I've managed to screw that up. Mostly it's because you leave it too long and you end up with soggy pasta or in one case burnt pasta.

Pasta can be cooked wrong by over boiling or under boiling it. Al dente is preferable and likely what he was referencing when he said ‘I think I got it right this time’.

I personally believe Snowden should get a pardon, but I appreciate the even-handed way you present this information.

I was a Drill Sergeant for 3 years and I can tell you, references to Rangers and Special Forces is common in almost every cadence, to all Soldiers.... sooooo, yeah, goofed that one guy.

Knowing how the story of Snowden is filled with much debatable information and plenty still coming out in modern times I'm not sure if we can do an academic study about it so early in its time frame

Dude, I'm an MD, the kinds of fractures the movie describes are stress fractures, in fact, being in the military is a risk factor for those and they effectively walk injured withouth even noticing it since its associated with a very minor pain that is relieved when resting. I see no failure on the part of the film to explain this, since it associates it with the heavy load transported. You lack a basic part of research when talking about something you clearly know nothing about, which is ironic since you complain of this lack of rigor in your video.

They probably got "broken legs" mixed up with stress fractures. Happens a lot. Especially desk type people in boot camp.

15:51 - Er.. I think it might be _you_ who doesn't understand pasta. I mean, you know you can undercook or overcook pasta, right? It's not even hard to get it wrong. You just need a [DING] sound effect after that sentence and it'd be CinemaSins-worthy forced criticism.

I've always felt Stone movies are best to be viewed as pure fiction and judged accordingly. Even at that I find them hit or miss just from an entertainment perspective.

When I saw this with my dad we both just looked at each other and agreed that it was propaganda. It was our kind of propaganda, we're both commies like stone, but it was propaganda. I feel like even calling it a history movie is a massive stretch.

9:21 I thought Army Drill Sergeants get super offended when they are referred to as sir..They prefer the term "Drill Sergeant"

I entirely disagree with your assertion that Snowden should have gone to jail, for the reasons Snowden (as well as Elsberg) has elucidated. Saying that he should be willing to face a kangaroo court because that'd look better to you and be more "traditional" is ludicrous, to say the least. Being unable to make any legal arguments is precisely why he should face such railroading? Why? So that you, as a self-proclaimed historian, can get something out of it? Elsberg has compared Snowden to himself, and that's good enough for me. And the fact that Russia was the only place that he *could* go, as going to Central America is unfeasible now (as the US's willingness to ground a foreign head of state's plane on the _suspicion alone_ that Snowden was hidden inside demonstrates). Your attempt at evenhandedness in the pursuit of a false neutrality has produced a ridiculous demand that someone who has allegedly committed a crime face unjust and indefinite imprisonment, torture akin to that committed against Chelsea Manning, and possible "suicide" or "death by a previously undiagnosed heart condition." While you may have a problem with people going too far to the left or right, there is also a false centrism in certain circumstances, and this is one of them. When he can make a public interest legal defense and have even the slightest chance of a fair trial, whether he's acquitted or convicted, then he can stand trial by the very criminals he's exposed, as is so often the case in the US.

I work in the electric sector. It is impossible for the guy next door to shut down an entire net. There is not a single wire connected to the internet. And precisely for that reason many protocols are put in place. It is much easier to just sabotage the grid, i mean physically.

Why should he go to jail for doing nothing wrong? That's bullshit. That is not only tolerating but accepting an unjust system.

Lightning round #2 is actually becoming a more real possibility as technology furthers. The EU powergrid runs of a node-based system which connects all across central EU. Not to mention BlackEnergy, which was used on the Ukraine powergrid.

Can I just say the pentagon papers are a great primary source when you’re writing a paper on Vietnam?

So Snowden in the movie is basically a Mary Sue/Gary Stu, funny Also I appreciate the balanced explanation and not making it preachy in regard to the subject at hand, it's important I would agree but I prefer this format

At 4:30 you describe the Pentagon Papers to say they revealed the US covert fighting in Laos and Cambodia, “along with several other scandals”. That’s a pretty tame summary. It’s primary importance was confirming and exposing the deceit over the US war in Vietnam. You even show the body of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dihn Diem who was killed in a US backed coup. (I hope you do a review of the Burns/Novick series “The Vietnam War” which, although fundamentally flawed, does detail the malignant attitudes of US war planners.) At ~6:40, after showing Snowden say he couldn’t get a fair trial, you say he shouldn’t have fled because “by hiding away in Russian Snowden only damn his own story for posterity” which historians (like this video?) ultimately write. Really? Isn’t his concern for his welfare a valid reason? Ultimately posterity will judge his actions by the significance of what he has disclosed, which no one has disputed are real. Snowden’s courage is shown by the fact he is one of a only a few (lookup Russ Tice, Thomas Andrews Drake, Mark Klein, Thomas Tamm) out of thousands to object to the illegal spying operations. A look at the treatment of the other recent whistleblowers, especially Drake, is why Snowden says he can’t get a fair trial. Stone’s film has failings and takes dramatic licence, but these are used to emphasise the character arc of the naive citizen who realises the government spy agencies have become a larger threat than then things it was supposedly their to protects us from. The complaints about the factually inaccuracies in the film are nitpicking when the film gets one big thing correct: Snowden revealed details of the illegal spying. Near the start you mention the disinformation campaign against Daniel Ellsberg, so shouldn’t we assume there one running now against Snowden? I’m inclined to put a question mar over any disparagement of Snowden given to routine character assassination of political opponents of the State. Regarding this video, a quick search shows Forbes magazine found a former co-worker who called him a “genius among geniuses” www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/12/16/an-nsa-coworker-remembers-the-real-edward-snowden-a-genius-among-geniuses/. Also the speculation near the end about Snowden continuing to hold documents is given with sinister insinuation. It seems obvious to me that by deleting all his copies he is reasserting that the important story is the government spying and also to try to protect himself from the danger that some other government or organisation might try to extract it from him. Edits: typo. grammar

I do not know how historically accurate those movies are, but Stone has made some quite good movies (to watch, at least): Born on the 4th of July, Platoon and Natural Born Killers (which is pure fiction).

Why wouldn't people just watch Citizenfour

Also they use an external fixator on his leg, which is a method almost never used by doctors in the US.

Part 2 in the Lightning Round (with the possibility to control foreign infrastructure) was probably referring to programs like Nitro Zeus - whether those programs were actually developed to a functional level or not may be up for debate, but they were certainly proposed and funded

Films aside, how do you feel about Oliver Stone's book The Untold History of the United States?

The real Question here is: How did you manage to burn _cereal?_

The broken legs thing... Is stupid bit plausible. When I was twelve I was on a local football team,l when I twisted my right knee during training. I didn't tell anyone about it for fear of losing my spot, so I sucked it up and kept going. It hurt like hell for two weeks, and I continued to practice on it and even played two games before passing out during training. When I passed out my parents took me to the doctor and we were told I'd torn nearly every ligament and tendon around my right knee. It wasn't cool, it wasn't fun, it fucking hurt and the doctor literally hit me upside the head and called me an idiot for hiding it for so long. Mind you, the reason I did this was due to a serious medical issue I'd suffered the previous summer, which took me off the team that year. I was more terrified of losing my spot than I was in fucking up my leg and that alone allowed me to continue going.

*Chelsea Manning

LOL!! JGL's portrayal is so spot on that it's almost parody-like funny.

I'm in favour of what snowden did, but this movie, I agree is biased and horribly subjective, movies should not be made like this.

how ironic that our citizenry are willingly giving up its privacy.

Depends on what type of break and where. I thought I had a bad sprain and walked on a fracture for a week. It hurts like hell, but if it's not a major break, you can walk on it. So I wouldnt count that as impossible.

Joseph Gordon Levitts did nail Snowden’s accident.

He does not need to come back. He's sacrificed plenty.

It seems the whole movie can be fixed by the character Snowden begin the movie by saying "This is my story" then the text has an "unreliable narrator" ala Forrest Gump.

I was entertained by this move, but I had no idea how much fiction was in this movie. Seems like they could just change the names and make it a historical movie.

As you have a thing for Oliver Stone, have you reviewed Born on the Forth of July? I have seen it and did have a few questions, but seeing what you've put here makes me think that BotFJ was a bit sugar coated.

You seem biased against Snowden the man not the movie.everyone has bias but you getting mad at him for not throwing his life away seems a bit excessive.

Cypher IS NOT interested in holding your hand.

*WAIT-A-FUCKING-MINUTE!!!!* THAT'S JOHN OLIVER!!!!! JOHN OLIVER INTERVIEWED SNOWDEN!!! AS A GUIATARIST, I HAVE TO SAY *THAT'S SO METAL!!!!!!!*

Im a strong supporter of Edward Snowden, but I must agree this film was a complete let down, and it’s such a shame too. Shaline Woodly and Joseph Gordon Levit are really talented. Stone is just an incompetent filmmaker.

Snowden and Maning are heroes

I still am thankful for what Snowden did for our nation's awareness, but under our nation's laws he did commit treason since he was a contractor and isn't provided the whistleblower protections. I disagree with the laws but they are how this country works.

It is totally ridiculous to think the CIA would take a tech guy and have him work as a field operative. The two are separate entities and would go through different training and indoctrination, but since the image of the field ops people is someone shady and dishonest they were bound to throw them in the film just to push forward the narrative. Oliver Stone's mantra seems to be "never let the facts get in the way of a good story." In my opinion if you can't use the facts, which sometimes create a good story - at least in my opinion, then don't bother saying what you're making is a true story or even based on one.

@24:24 = misspelled Tho*r*eau. Excellent job in educating the layman about major events and historical figures of our times, and we are very appreciative. Keep up the good work! 😊

Oliver Stone tends to have a very bombastic nature about his work, especially when it comes to openly questioning the flaws and corruption of contemporary institutions of power with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Even in films not based on actual history - like NATURAL BORN KILLERS - he tends to go so overboard in his attempts at satire that the excess drowns the message he's trying to convey. Even if it's a good message and it does get across to the audience, there's no denying that there are at least ten other ways you could go about doing it... and then there's Stone's method. I'm not saying that you can't use art to create a justifiable indictment of unjust practices in the real world that DO need to be addressed (especially those topics where you shouldn't try to play it safe to be respectable and/or prestigious, and above all else also not pander to the lowest common denominator), but when you choose to film a particular subject in order to express a certain point of view about how you see the world, you need to exercise self-imposed restraint and strike the right balance between creating a very accurate portrayal of the subject (especially one based on real life) without praising or demonizing it (especially from a childish, oversimplified, black-and-white view of good vs. evil, which should be avoided), and representing what it really stands for without pummeling it into your audience's minds with all the bells and whistles of filmmaking going at full speed. Even Ken Russell's films, for all their excess (and anachronisms), manage to show far more respect and understanding of the subject matter than Stone ever could.

Why if this video has been demonetized am I still having to watch commercials?

So, there are some exaggerations here, in this movie. No doubt, it is "adapted". BUT. Some of the things you claim to know, you can't know. You can't say "this is false", only that "snowden hasn't claimed this, as far as I know".

the quality of your videos have increase a lot recently

Wait, what did Snowden exaggerate or falsely claim? Everything I've seen traces that to NSA or other government sources and I don't trust them on this matter. There is an anonymous NSA source saying among other things that Snowden created a backup system, but obviously there's the issue of culpability.

What i find funny about Snowden was how he only revealed stuff when Obama was in office. Granted I am not against the whistle blowing but i still wonder, why did he only reveal stuff that only affected Obama. Where was this when Bush was in office, or out. Considering the hate for Bush, Snowden could have used this to his advantage (reveal stuff about bush) and indirectly threaten obama (i have this on Bush and I got stuff on you to, do the right thing or i will speak out) We know Bush was doing that stuff well in advance, since 9/11 and yet nothing to this day about Bush.

Wilson and his silly espionage act

Is one of the news reporters played by the same actor who plays Benjamin Franklin in the "John Adams" miniseries?

Hey Cypher, have you ever watched one of Stone's documentaries?

Vindication! I've been baffled as to how Oliver Stone got and stays successful. The amount of time, money and talent from the cast and crew that go into making his movies just kills me. Fuck I hate his movies

I'd take the fall... Snowden made a big mistake in runnin' away. You run from a broken window, things will turn on ya, if seen through the blind, naked eye.

The only difference between Oliver Stone and Michael Moore is Moore pretends to write documentaries while Stone pretends to write historical movies.

So Oliver Stone was interviewed by RT. I did not know this.

I love JFK. The Oliver Stone movie, i mean. It is one incredible piece of filmmaking that i have seen over and over. But the evidence against Oswald is staggeringly overwhelming. (Conspiracy theorists: instead of looking for conspiracy, try reading the evidence against your position.) Anyway, that movie is probably the most factually vacant movie that purports to be about truth that was ever made, and it makes me angry that the movie itself is so good.

Great takedown and I dig your heist pitch. Although I don't know if overtly framing him as a thief committing a crime would actually not influence people's perception of the ethics of the situation. Thumbs up!

Just got a snowden add wow what a coincidence.

Just so you know other trainings(schools), Do go on at fort benning ; especially special schools that basic candidates wouldn't engage in..... Such as OSUT for 11x candidates. And for that reason,im out.

Being a ranger and being special forces are not mutually exclusive. While the majority of rangers are not special forces, 75th rangers are tier one special forces operators.

my grandma said if you think Snowden if bad then you're a libreal

id love to see you tackle Stone's Untold History.

That moment when you're watching this and get an add featuring Snowden that comes up halfway through XD

People act like being a whistleblower and being a traitor are mutually exclusive, yes maybe he revealed some damning things but people likely still died because of the information he revealed. In the long run it's doubtful that anything changed in espionage for the better, they probably just became more careful about getting caught. All he achieved was to feed his own vanity as a 'hero'

too be fair i do know a guy who was able to catch a football and continued to play then kept using it for a few days before finally learning it was broken

Great documentaries.

Well first off in the military which he did join he was training to be desk jockey but ended up getting hurt and having an administrative separation early on, not necessarily a terrible thing but not anything like was presented

Just because he is on Fox news doesn't make him political.

Having been at Basic in Fort Benning. a) yes, they treat you like infantry. Everyone at Fort Benning is infantry. We were told that when we got to AIT or OCS that we will be the elites, because we were trained to be infantry regardless. That Basic at Fort Benning was just like infantry training but shorter. b) I know someone who was woken in the middle of the night by a drill sergeant because he had been entrusted with keys, and the guy fell out of bed (he was in a top bunk) and broke his arm. Guy went on to pass his physical fitness test because he did the necessary number of pushups on a broken arm. (to quote him, “after awhile, the pain just goes away” which is supported by the notion that the brain turns off continuous signals.) Then, there was the guy who during the march for FTX was walking off the road because the drill sergeants ordered everyone off of the pavement, twisted his ankle, and kept marching. He finished the march, got to the FTX field and dug his fox hole, setup his tent, and only came to attention the next day, because he couldn't get his foot into his boot due to such swelling. I fucking washed out of Fort Benning, because I joined with ridiculously bad depression that I had been convinced (due to a 99%ile ASVAB score) would not be an issue. I was underweight and had to _TWICE_ go to MEPS to be weighed the second time me being so full of piss (because I couldn't pee lest weigh loss) and full of shit (lest I lose weight) _AND_ ready to puke (lest I lose weight) and even then, I came up 0.49 pounds under, which they just rounded up because I was trying to get in. Fucking Fort Benning, 2001, before 9/11 was "if any of you have a problem with 'mother fucker' let me know" one guy raised his hand, and the drill sergeant said, "in that case, remind me around you I need to say father fucker." Your fucking grasp of what Fort Benning was like contemporaneous to Snowden's service is a fucking joke to someone who actually spent fucking time there. Shit, yeah. I know ranger and special forces were different things. Didn't fucking stop Fort 'Infantry' Benning from having us talk about them like we're worthy of being a part of both. ' Your video is so full of fail to someone was was contemporaneously at Fort Benning for basic that … I don't know what to say. Except, holy fucking christ, you're talking out of your fucking ass about this particular part. Rock of the Marne, 138th, Delta Platoon 2001.

how the hell is his enter key directly under the backspace???? where is the backslash??

5:30 Spelling Mistake. "Henry David Thoreau"

Worst thing I can see about this movie is JGL voice… he sounds like Ashton Kutcher when he’s trying to be dramatic.

Great vid

Did you ask how you cook pasta wrong? There's a couple ways... Undercooking, and over cooking. Unless you like mushy pasta or like crunchy pasta.

The only credence I can give to the broken leg 10:35 is antidotal but hell, it's interesting. Met a great guy in rehab that was in the army and broke his ankle in basic. No worry, they instantly started pumping him with 90+ mg Percocet (no prior tolerance and like 130lb) and he said "I was doped up and still going through basic training, sure I must have slacked but I couldn't be bothered to feel or even remember my broken, fucking, ankle. I was too high and on pure primal auto-pilot to bitch." and there began his unfortunate fall into the pit of opiate addiction and dependency which I wouldn't wish on ANYONE. Much love.

(11:12) Did I hear that correctly "Missed a perfect score on the AS VAB test by one question." First off its ASVAB (one word), and two I don't think there is a "perfect" score, it is a placement test just for the US Military.

Regarding file transfers... the CIA had the files on a monitored cloud system and he was most likely looking for individuals who might have caught him and traced it to his computer. That's the nervous element, I figured most would know that.

About the walking on broken legs thing there are hockey players that play on broken ankles and with collapsed lungs so anything is possible

It would be very interring if you did an episode (or a couple or episodes) on Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States

The cadence calling and asking wee little joes if they want to be Rangers and Special Forces is often done to be cynical, even after basic. The Army is a very unimaginative place, especially in basic when singing as you walk around Sand Hill is mandetory. Marching cadence is not an accurate way to discover what an organization within the military actually does, it's like a chant before starting a shift a Wal-Mart.

bless you for putting Roy Orbison(?) in here

I think your lightning round V missed the point. In that scene he was intentionally lying to his Girlfriend since telling her the truth would be spreading classified information

Not sure what to make of Snowden to be honest...As the video claims, some call him a Patriot, some say he is a traitor, I am unsure what to make of him. What I do think is, he should go back, face the music, and make some kind of plea deal, Bradley Manning only ended up doing about 7 years, so why should Snowden be treated any different if he went back to the US

Her knowing to run an IP-trace could be surprising to someone who knows how to do it because that's not something most people know how to do, even if doing so is easy

Would love it if you critiqued Michael Moore movies or "The Fifth Estate" since it's a similar story around Jullian Assange instead of Snowden.

Snowden looks like Markiplier

10:00 Hey Battle, *you mispelt "BECOME" at the latter-end of your caption "to become SF/Special Forces",* mmmkday?

Snowden is my hero