The Fifth Estate Page #6

you were coming.

We kept reading

about you in the papers.

Can you join us for dinner?

- Julian is very busy...

- I'd love to.

That's marvelous.

That was taken in Belgium.

I organized the competitions.

We traveled to Dusseldorf,

Geneva...

Remember

that boy he beat in Prague?

He was so big.

She means he was fat and slow.

By the way,

have you seen these?

Papa...

Schmitt! Don't ruin my papers.

Get off that!

Always sitting on my papers.

He's been keeping

all the articles.

There was this one piece

on Julius Bar in the F.A.Z.

it was really wonderful.

We don't really

bother with the local papers.

It's a national paper.

Some collection

you've got there.

Yeah.

Quite the anarchist, hmm?

Oddest thing.

I didn't meet

my biological father

until I was in my twenties.

I walked into his house,

and there on the shelves...

Kafka, Kropotkin, Solzhenitsyn.

All these books I'd spent years

trying to discover on my own.

Perhaps you'd like

to borrow one.

Where's the bathroom?

Over there.

He takes his backpack

to the bathroom?

Security.

Let's eat.

Hey.

That wasn't cool.

Sorry.

- See you later.

- Later!

Bye!

Yeah.

I clean lost my appetite.

But you have to admit

they are a bit suffocating.

What?

Oh, you haven't

picked up on that?

Well, I suppose we all have

our own unique way

of viewing the world.

For example,

here's an interesting one.

Did you see it,

the new WIRED piece?

"Cofounder Daniel Schmitt

got involved

"with WikiLeaks

prior to launch."

I didn't say that. Julian,

the reporter screwed up.

Maybe you're used to people

exaggerating your successes...

but while you were

out winning judo trophies

with Mutti and Vati...

I was studying

information systems

in a shitty squat

outside Melbourne...

obsessing over code in

a hot little flat in Paris...

and holding schizophrenic

meetings with myself...

the chairman, the secretary,

sole volunteer, and founder...

of an organization

no one had even heard of!

Including you.

Oh, no, wait, Daniel,

but there's more to this.

It gets better.

"Daniel Schmitt,

he won't give his real name.

"No, instead, he adopted

the nom de plume 'Schmitt'

"after his cat."

To think,

I spent weeks reading Horace

to find the right

nom de guerre...

when all I needed

was a f***ing cat.

Sorry. Uh, you're

the leaks guy, right?

From the Congress?

- You need volunteers?

- Hmm.

Oh, we have hundreds

of volunteers.

But we could always do

with more loyal followers.

Oh, great.

I'm Ziggy.

- Good to meet you, Ziggy.

- Good to meet you.

Hey, Daniel.

Listen, I just need five

minutes. I'll be all right.

- Don't worry about it.

- Just a cup of coffee.

But Julian wants me to take

you guys to the airport!

Julian can go f*** himself!

This represents

the full stockpile?

There's been some

effort to comply

with the Chemical Weapons

Convention...

but there is no way they will

be able to destroy it all

before the deadline.

Is this Gaddafi dragging

his heels, or his son?

It's not clear.

But Mutassim is ambitious.

His brother is out of favor...

and this could be an attempt

to cast himself

as a possible successor

to his father.

That's just what we need.

Another madman

with mustard gas.

Do you remember that

New Year's Eve party

in Sharm el-Sheikh?

I'd just started my Fulbright,

I'd had a bit to drink.

A lot to drink.

Your brother begged

you to leave

the drunk American

at the party...

but you stayed.

Someone had to keep

an eye on her.

D.C. is a nice place

to raise a child.

You have a family now.

I want you to do what's best

for your family.

Tripoli is my home.

I am doing what's best

for my family.

Why don't we order something?

The spread

of information is forming

a new nervous system

for our planet.

We recognize that

the world's information

infrastructure...

will become what

we and others make of it.

So, you think

this is good intel, huh?

I've known Tarek

for over 20 years.

Okay. Write up a cable.

I want everybody on the

Middle East desk up to speed.

Hey.

I never thought

you'd become a rock star.

I think rock stars

have cooler tattoos.

You should have heard Julian.

"Compensating for something?"

I didn't care.

It wasn't for him anyways.

He's an a**hole, Daniel.

He's a manipulative a**hole.

He must be.

Why else would I have given up

everything I cared about?

What you've done...

it's staggering.

But you did it together.

Sure, Julian

is the mad prophet,

but he needs boundaries.

He needs a line.

You're that line.

We all want

information to be free.

But investigative journalism

is pricy.

And when newspapers

get squeezed,

it's the first thing to go...

which is why providers of

first-rate source material...

like WikiLeaks,

are so important.

Nick, is Assange

ever gonna show?

I had a message,

I think he's been delayed.

Passport control

can be such a bore.

Apparently,

they're not big fans

of first-rate

source material, so...

What we witnessed

was the brutal breakdown

of the rule of law...

and destruction

of public property

as acted out by the police.

I was so frightened, I thought

my hair might turn white.

The only way we could actually

get back into the compound...

was to ask the police,

that we were trying to expose

as being corrupt,

to let us in.

The real reason

I was late today was, uh...

we have it on good authority

that we're being tracked

by CIA operatives...

and there were

definitely two types.

- Oh.

- Which we had to shake.

An international man

of mystery, huh?

I've used that line.

Next he'll be telling you

the spooks kidnapped

his partner.

Partner?

Daniel, the German chap.

The grounded one.

The one who helps you

distinguish fact from fiction.

WikiLeaks has hundreds

of volunteers.

It's very difficult to keep

track of any single one.

Well, do try to

keep track of me.

Excuse me.

So, what's this new leak

you're sitting on?

It must be big if it's piqued

the interest of the CIA.

So, you do believe me?

No, no, no. I didn't.

Until I noticed your friends.

Let's not attract attention.

The American spooks

are relatively civilized.

It's the Russians you should

be keeping an eye on.

Room 376.

When Ms. Lang returns,

bring her up,

they'll assume

you're in for the night.

That will give us plenty

of time to find a way

to slip you out of the hotel...

and for you to show

me what it is

that's got their knickers

in such a twist.

Anyway.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Yeah?

I need you. Can you get on

the first plane to Reykjavik?

Christ, I'm surprised they

don't have more men on you.

I thought you were in Norway.

It's not safe for me

to stay here anymore.

What's going on?

They'll have a taxi here in 20.

It'll be by the back entrance.

The Americans are out front.

Julian, Julian, you should

work with us on this.

Why? So that The Guardian

can pick up some more awards?

What are you doing?

if I'm gonna get

out of this hotel,

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes