UNDERGROUND chronicles the teenage years of computer hacker Julian Assange (Alex Williams) in Australia as he is hiding with his mother (Rachel Griffiths) and his brother from a violent stepfather (who is part of the Aryan cult called The Family).   Julian becomes one of the first hackers in the days before the worldwide web and begins to access sites with high security like the Pentagon’s network.  His hacking activity draws the attention of a local Australian detective Ken Roberts (Anthony LaPaglia) and the U.S. military as the hunt is on to locate and stop Julian’s hacking activities.

 

Alex Williams passes off as a dead ringer for the real Julian Assange and he could play a young Sherlock in flashbacks for the BBC series Sherlock which stars Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays an older Julian Assange in THE FIFTH ESTATE).   UNDERGROUND shows the beginning of the story which shows you the person Julian Assange would become.  You can understand why he became a hacker who searched for the truth and how his life on the run with his mother from an abusive step-father helped shape Julian’s quest to let the truth be known about delicate military operations be known to the world in the years to come.

 

EXTRAS:  None- not even English subtitles.

 

FINAL ANALYSIS:  UNDERGROUND: THE JULIAN ASSANGE STORY is a good companion piece for those who will go watch THE FIFTH ESTATE which chronicles later events in the life of Julian Assange because both films might form a wider picture together to explore the life of a person searching for the truth that comes out of a troubled childhood.

 

This DVD review is (c)10-7-2013 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

 

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