The Six Billion Dollar Man
For better or for worse, Julian Assange is a household name around the world. In 2006, he founded a platform called WikiLeaks, a pioneering site that endeavoured to conduct real investigative journalism where so many mainstream outlets were failing. By publishing classified documents and videos, WikiLeaks gained significant notoriety for bringing the hidden truth to the attention of the general public, but also caught the attention of international governments in the process. When Assange and his small team of journalists released material from whistleblower Chelsea Manning showing war crimes conducted by the US military, what followed would change the face of journalism forever and plunge Assange into the most turbulent decade of his life.
The Six Billion Dollar Man is that story. There have been several films covering Assange and WikiLeaks, but Eugene Jarecki’s documentary lifts the curtain behind the scenes like never before and provides a full range of contributors and perspectives. Showing rarely seen footage from inside the Ecuadorian embassy where Assange spent seven years in asylum, you are offered a first-hand look into what life was like for him, as well as the physical and mental toll the siege had on him.
The documentary spends little time debating whether or not WikiLeaks was right to publish the endless influx of classified documents it was receiving, instead automatically drawing the conclusion for you that, as long as journalistic standards are met and it is in the public interest, then the publish button is more than acceptable. A deeper analysis of the mindset of the man would have been a welcome element to this story and may have given the viewer a more balanced foundation upon which they can build their own opinions. However, rather than ask you at point blank whether Assange is a threat to society or a truth seeker, what the film does allow you to think for yourself is on the matter of the ethics of journalism and freedom of the press.
Where the documentary truly excels is the storytelling of how the United States government tried all they could to silence Julian Assange, presenting the very real dangers he faced, the hatred and villainisation from some US media outlets, and even to the extent of death plots from leading politicians. Talking heads paint this picture to devastating effect, with twists and turns in the plot being delivered through their interviews, keeping you gripped throughout. You cannot deny that the whole WikiLeaks chronicle is a delightfully interesting one when told the right way, and Jarecki has done just that.
Guy Lambert
The Six Billion Dollar Man is released nationwide on 19th December 2025.
Watch the trailer for The Six Billion Dollar Man here:
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