Sneakers

Rating:
Summary: The hacker movies geeks actually like.
Review: This movie is one of the few "hacker" movies that doesn't suck. Maybe it's because 'A' was a consultant. (from RSA ... the encryption algorithm). Definitely required viewing for all computer geeks.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies by far...
Review: One of the best movies I have ever seen--it had action, comedy, and an excellent script full of intelligent humor and character interaction. Excellent job! I could see this movie again and again and again...

Rating:
Summary: All this trouble over a little black box.
Review: I thought it was great its not cheesy like HACKERS, and its not bad like The show Barney. Very good

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: This is a superb movie that has somthing for everyone. It has action, suspense, drama, comedy, and a great story. Not to mention, some of the best dialog in a film. Not to give anything away but the part with the electronic keypad door is about the funniest thing i've ever seen in a film. Well Done!

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie!
Review: This movie has it all: action, suspense, comedy. It's a feel good movie on top of that! My only criticism is that the big "suspense" ending completely falls apart (storyline-wise, that is)...one minute they're surrounded, the next minute they're all alone to make an easy escape. But don't let that get you down! Buy this and enjoy one of River Phoenix's last movies. Well acted and lots of fun!

Rating:
Summary: "Cattle mutilations are up."
Review: That first time I used my credit card to buy something online, I did so with quite a bit of trepidation, as I had concerns about how easily some hacker type could steal my card number and rack up my debt...since then I've realized many sites do utilize some sort of protection against that kind of thing, but still, the thought of vulnerabilities lingers in my mind...and movies like Sneakers (1992) certainly don't help to quell those concerns...written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams), the film stars Robert Redford (Three Days of the Condor) and Sidney Poitier (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). Also appearing is David Strathairn (Dolores Claiborne), Dan Aykroyd (Grosse Pointe Blank), the late River Phoenix (My Own Private Idaho), Mary McDonnell (Independence Day), and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi).

In the film, Martin Bishop (Redford) and his colleagues operate a security company who other businesses hire to break into their companies, exposing where their security may be lacking. Each member of the small team has their own, unique background (many involving past criminal activities), but after the group is approached (blackmailed) by a gooberment agency with a proposition to recover a mysterious device (it involves the use of computers and cryptography), it's discovered that Bishop has the most to lose if they don't accept the job. The group manages the acquisition easy enough, but soon find themselves in a heap of trouble as the device turns out to be something of extreme value, a device many would kill to possess. As the web of conspiracy and deceit grows, as does the level of danger (various individuals wind up getting killed), the group must use all their abilities to outwit those intent on stealing the device for themselves, using it for their own, nefarious purposes, and seeing Martin and his co-workers in jail, or even dead.

Sneakers is a deceptive film. I've seen it a few times, the first time I saw it, it appeared to be a light movie (I've read that the makers of the film injected a modest amount of profanity into the script to avoid a `G' rating, for fears the movie would have been perceived as a film for children) with a few, gaping plot holes, but subsequent viewings (for me, at least), reveal it to be a very rich, complex, intelligent, enjoyable thriller with an excellent cast and a tight storyline with little or no mistakes, and the plot holes I originally perceived actually dealt with, many times in very subtle ways, hence the need for repeat viewings (it's important to pay attention to many of the little details provided throughout). Redford and Poitier are the strongest cast members in the film, but they don't necessarily come off that way, as they seem to understand the importance of their parts within the whole of the film, instilling a subtleness within their performances, allowing for the focus to be on the story rather on themselves. This seems to be an obvious sign of their experience, and I found myself appreciating this, as often starring actors tend to be full of themselves, and their efforts on screen show it...originally it seemed to me that the character development was a bit light, but I've since come to feel we're given just exactly what's needed for the story, and anymore would have bordered on the extraneous and unnecessary. Also, it's nice to see a film where Dan Aykroyd plays a relatively minor part, doing what he's told, having nothing to do with the writing or directing (he not only wrote but directed the one of the worst films I've ever seen in 1991's Nothing But Trouble). Also, I usually tend to like women with the longer hair, but I thought Mary McDonnell, with her short hair and all, looked very attractive and added a wonderful, feminine element to this nearly all male cast with her role as Liz, a former lover of Bishop, now assisting the group seemingly out of appreciation of Bishop's past. Director Robinson keeps the pacing tight, and uses the talent within the film well (I supposed this is helped by the fact he also wrote the screenplay, so he has an intimate understanding of the visuals he wants to present in accordance with the story). The McGuffin (a term invented by Alfred Hitchcock to describe the element of the film the plot centers on...he would often present, but rarely elaborate on it, as its' specifics were never important, in his mind, only its' use in providing focus for the story and progressing the plot) seems a bit farfetched, but the smart story and the talented performances do well in creating a level of believability that got through this aspect. Another important feature of the film is the musical score, provided by legendary and prolific composer James Horner (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Aliens). Usually I neglect mentioning the music within a film unless it's either really bad or really good (the latter being the case here). I wonder how many people are aware that he started out composing for low budget producer Roger Corman, working on films like Battle Beyond the Stars and Humanoids From the Deep, both released 1980. A couple of minor appearances worth looking for are Donal Logue (Blade, The Tao of Steve), James Earl Jones (Clear and Present Danger), and Timothy Busfield (Revenge of the Nerds). Favorite line from the film? When Bishop is talking to the NSA guys and responds, "I could have been in the NSA, but they found out my parents were married."

The widescreen anamorphic picture (1.85:1) looks reasonably fair, and the Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 tracks (available in English, French, and Spanish) sound decent. Special features include an original theatrical trailer for the film, subtitles, informative production notes, background and filmographies of some of the cast and crew, a `making of' featurette, and commentary track by the director. All in all a decent release of a really good film.

Cookieman108


Rating:
Summary: "Sneaking" Around
Review: Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier head a fine cast in SNEAKERS, a solid 1992 thriller with a robust sense of humor directed and co-written with good skill by Phil Alden Robinson (FIELD OF DREAMS). In it, Redford, who has been on the run since 1969 for computer hacking in that politically turbulent time, heads up a team of security experts known as "sneakers", whose job it is to penetrate the security set-ups of their respective clients to give them tips whenever those companies' security systems are lacking. Then two guys (Timothy Busfield; Eddie Jones) claiming to be from the National Security Agency give Redford the biggest task of all: to recover a "little black box" from a Czech scientist visiting in the San Francisco Bay Area.

But when they find out what this little black box does, they realize that they could be marked for death. For this box is actually a machine that can break any security codes to every single system on the planet. And when Busfield and Jones turn out NOT to be NSA representatives and renege on the arrangement they made with him, Redford is forced to confront an old friend (Ben Kingsley) from his past who is now out to take revenge.

Structured with elements of techno-thrillers, spy thrillers, and fears of Big Brother, and combined with goodly amounts of humor, SNEAKERS moves quite briskly through its 125-minute running time. Suspenseful moments, including Redford having to move ultra-slowly through a highly secured area to recover the box in Kingsley's complex, are juxtaposed with moments of political humor, including Dan Aykroyd's conspiracy-obsessed technician, and in the film's introductory scene, in which the younger versions of Redford and Kingsley think of transfering the money in Richard Nixon's personal checking account to the National Association to Legalize Marijuana. As rightly mentioned in Amazon's review of the film, that little black box that can break every code functions as what Hitchcock calls a "McGuffin", a plot device that may not mean much to us until we realize why people want it so badly they'd kill for it. This, combined with fears of the government functioning as "Big Brother", make SNEAKERS every bit as relevant today as when it was released in 1992, perhaps even more so.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable thriller
Review: This film is surprisingly good in what it attempts to portray - the vulnerability of our systems to unauthorised access and the potential for data misuse. Essentially the film is about cryptography and does not really focus on hacking in any direct way thus making it just as relevant today as it was back in 1992. The cast headed by Robert Redford give an outstanding performance, especially David Strathairn as a blind hacker with impressive hands-on skills. Very enjoyable and well paced.

Rating:
Summary: great film, over some heads.....
Review: i thought i would review this as not many women seem to have reviewed it thus far. i have seen this film many, many times and i still thoroughly enjoy it. to those who say it is stupid or they can't follow the plot........perhaps you just don't have the right mind for it. it isn't fast-paced with explosions and james-bond helicopter chases and girls in bikinis. what it does offer is an intellectually based, character driven plot. this is not for the mtv-viewing sort. as someone else noted, the score is amazing. it really adds to the film as opposed to merely just being muzak. i don't mean to sound snobby, but this film isn't for the sort that like films such as "2 fast, 2 furious" or "american pie".....ok, i have seen one of those films but found it really stupid. also, though this film isn't a "chick-flick", i think it really appeals to both sexes. i totally recommend this film. see it!!

Rating:
Summary: Sleeper hit attraction!
Review: This is truly a movie that, when you watch it, you'll wonder why on earth you never heard of it or watched it before! It is absolutely excellent! It is Robert Redford's best movie of all time, and he wasn't too shabby in "The Sting." We have watched this movie over and over and over, and love it every single time. It sits in our DVD cabinet between Whoopi Goldberg's "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and Dan Aykroyd/Eddie Murphy's "Trading Places." It is "the" movie I brought over to my now-husband's house to watch when we first fell in love. :) It is "the" movie I consistently recommend to every true movie buff I meet, and I mean it!

Important sidenote: Robert Redford just made a real-life speaking appearance in my town, and after hearing him speak, we just had to watch "Sneakers," again, that very night! You can really feel a big part of the real Redford in "Sneakers." He's a wonderful man and a smart actor.

"Sneakers" is everything every 5-star reviewer is raving about: Funny, suspenseful, witty, believable, fun, entertaining, artfully done and chocked full of wonderful big-name stars: Robert Redford ("The Sting"), Dan Aykroyd ("Ghostbusters"), Sidney Poitier ("To Sir With Love"), David Straithairn ("The Firm"), the late River Phoenix ("Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"), Mary McDonnell ("Passion Fish" also with Straithairn), and Ben Kingsley ("Ghandi").

As the cover says, "We could tell you what it's about. But then, of course, we would have to kill you."

Just do yourself a favor and get yourself a Winnebago with a big kitchen...no, no, I mean, watch this movie, then buy this movie, then watch this movie again. We all deserve "Sneakers!" So, peace on earth, good will to men...and women. Right on!