Sneakers

Rating:
Summary: Masterful intrigue
Review: This film captivates the viewer from the first scene. Redford's portrayal of a security firm's team leader is excellent. His supporting cast shows what a broad range of talent is necessary to handle the roles imposed by dealing with security issues. Each is a social malcontent, yet wholly professional as they address the questions posed by clients and circumstances. Among them, David Strathairn stands out. Comparing his presentation with his base commander role in Memphis Belle shows the depth of his abilities. As a blind techie relying on hearing alone, his contribution to this film is sensational. The only predictable figure is Dan Akroyd - he seems to come straight from a Ghostbusters take without shedding any of that character. Ben Kingsley, as Redford's Mafia foil, provides a stunning presentation of a man caught up in the realities of today's information saturated world.

While the plot of this film is thin, the actors rise above its limitations with their performances. This film isn't about 'hacking', it's about advances in information technology. What is needed to protect information used in airline routing, medical research or electrical grids? The technology is valid, a 'super cracker' device is under investigation by countless agencies, both government and private. Today's mathematics will provide such a device, but one hopes it won't be achieved by the strange character depicted in this film. The serious question arises over who will control it. James Earl Jones, as the government agent who ultimately acquires the cracker is far too easygoing for the job he fills.

That being said, the message of this film is vivvidly expressed. It's a film worthy of any library, to be viewed frequently for its impact.

Rating:
Summary: "There's nobody there."
Review: What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said? The quirky humor, gripping tension and haunting score make it an instant classic. Add to that the fact that the movie contains a brilliant cautionary tale about misplaced priorities. This is a statement that will forever keep this film, even with all its technology, from becoming dated. Of course, you can't help but love the characters, Mother, Whistler and Martin to name a few, and the quotable dialogue ("Passport?")

Rating:
Summary: Sneak a peek!
Review: This movie was great. The plot, the acting, the humor, all of it. Its pretty interesting what small peices of equipment can do. The only thing is, just like the liar liar cd, this cd wont play using compaq's dvd program. I had to load the cinemaster program to view it, and of course it was worth it.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Waiting To Happen
Review: Ever thought the Government know our every move?

SNEAKERS won't try to change your mind. This is a fantastic cast (Redford, Poitier, Aykroyd, Phoenix) with an equally witty, sharp and tense script. The story revolves around this team of conspiracy theorists on a retrieval mission of the ultimate password decoder: lethal in anybody's hands.

There are some very suspensful moments here, some great comedy (particularly Aykroyd's character who thinks everything is a Government cover-up or conspiracy). Even if technology and hacking doesn't interest you, don't worry. This is a stylish adventure in the best tradition: one worth more than a single viewing.

Rating:
Summary: Why can't summer blockbusters be more like this?
Review: SNEAKERS is one of those movies that didn't have a great box office run despite being a fantastic film. It fortunately has found a second life in the video market, maintaining a respectable, though not stellar, presence on best-seller lists. Why does it continue to convert audiences a decade after release? Because it's everything we expect of a fun summer movie, but don't usually get.

You know that feeling you have the day before a summer blockbuster is going to be released? That one of total anticipation that tells you this movie is going to be the best thing you've ever seen? And then you go to the movie and it totally disappoints you because the characters were made of cardboard. the action scenes were implausible, and the romance was just set decoration?

SNEAKERS is not that film. SNEAKERS entirely satisfies. In fact, SNEAKERS is, in my estimation, the very best (fictional) action film of the 1990s.

At the heart of the film is a very clever, character-based script. It combines tried and true Grecian tragedy with thoroughly modern humor, cool gadgets, and genuine intrigue. The relationships between Redford and McDonnell-like the friendship between Redford and Kingsley--is mature and complex, bringing true character development in its wake.

All of it is made possible by phenomenal acting. No one (except maybe James Earl Jones) is playing to type. Redford is very much a reluctant hero, less than confident in his abilities, and having romantic difficulties with the fact that he's middle-aged and alone. Dan Aykroyd gives one of his very best performances because he's playing a character whose eccentricities help define him rather than label him. He's not really playing 'funny' so much as 'quirky'. David Strathairn steals every scene he's in with his alternately comic and tragic performance of a highly capable blind team member. Sidney Poitier, meanwhile, is surprisingly adept at playing lighthearted comedy, and Ben Kingsley makes an unusually menacing enemy-far, far different than his sainted performances in GANDHI and SCHINDLER'S LIST. It's a true ensemble production in which everyone pulls their load with aplomb.

Why, then, didn't this film do better at the box office?

The very fact that this film successfully integrated thriller, comedy, romance and adventure into a single script may have hurt. It was somewhat hard to market because it WAS so richly textured. Also, the fact that it was an original script meant there was no built-in audience chomping at the bit to see it. 1992 was a year dominated by derivative films (ALADDIN, HOME ALONE 2, BATMAN RETURNS and LETHAL WEAPON 3 were the top four movies that year, grossing over $300 million each worldwide), and it was hard for an original voice to be heard. Still, it did make about $70 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest grossers of that year's original films.

Whatever the case of its box office's history, you need to make this film a part of your DVD collection's present. No, there's not much in the way of DVD extras, but sound is important to the plot, and you'll want the crisper audio DVD has to offer. Hopefully, though, they'll make a Collector's Edition of this film for its 10 year anniversary, because the dearth of extra materials is fairly inexcusable. With this many stellar cast members, there must've been great stories about the set.

Rating:
Summary: Acceptably Entertaining Movie
Review: This is a pretty good "spy"-tech movie. Robert Redford leads a cast of security experts: Sidney Poitier, Dan Ackroyd, River Phoenix, David Straithairn. The crew get caught up in a series of plot twists that would ruin the movie if I were to even begin to talk about them. I'll just say nothing is as it seems. Trust me.

Rating:
Summary: Classic caper
Review: A brilliant old fashioned caper movie, if you enjoy a good story full of wit and intrigue and you wanna see some of Hollywoods older brigade showing they've still got it then see this movie. Poitier is typically excellent.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie.
Review: I Would Give This Movie 2 Thumbs Up. Dan Akroyd Did A Great Job Playing The Role As "Mother". The TV Ancherman Ernie Tetrault Used To Work At WRGB Channel 6 , A CBS Affiliate In Schenectady, N.Y. Which Is Nearby Albany, The Capital Of New York State. He Also Did A Great Job On The News In The Movie. It Was Also Film Right In The Newsroom At WRGB. You Would Like This Movie.

Rating:
Summary: Conspiracy Theory?
Review: Other movies that have tried (and failed) to cover hacking/conspiracy theories have one fatal flaw. Instead of trying to be entertaining, as movies should be; they take their cues from the mainstream media and try to scare the audience to death with images of cival liberties being taken away as fast as some on screen hacker can type into a not-so-secure government database.

Sneakers on the other hand shows us what the government(and people pretending to be the government) is capable of through the eyes of very entertaining yet somewhat believable characters in the industry. From a phone phreak to an ex cia man, their group covers the gambit in skills and personalities. Redford leads an allstar cast as a good looking social engineer who talks his way past security in lieu of hacking. Dan Akroyd gives a performance unparalelled except maybe for his character in Gross Pointe Blank.

So if you are in the mood for something completely different from the Net, Conspiracy theory, and Masterminds, then this is the movie for you.

Loved it, seen it uncountable times, just upgraded to DVD version. James *Too Many Secrets* Stewart

Rating:
Summary: A Hacking Movie at its Best!
Review: This movie proved to be a thrilling look into the lives of hackers. While most hackering movies are based on illegal operations, this movie looks at the lives of a group of men who break into buildings and hack into systems for security reasons. It really gets exciting when the past of one of the hackers catches up with them and puts all of their lives in danger. Definitely watch this one for an action packed plot.