In 1983 Matthew Broderick starred in a little film called War Games. One of the first Hollywood movies to sensationalize computers and their potentially dangerous uses, War Games gave us our first glimpse into a world that was no longer controlled by political figures or the guy with the biggest army; it was the person who controlled the computers, and the information they contained, who had the most power.
Inspired by this film, director Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams), writer Lawrence Lasker (War Games) and producer Walter F. Parkes (Minority Report) all sat down to discuss what the world might look like in terms of information and computers in another ten years. They began making notes, theorizing about what might happen, and researched the true identities behind a new crop of geniuses known as 'hackers'. Over the course of these 10 years they would learn about a group of "black hatters" known as 'sneakers'.The term 'sneakers' was given to groups of people who shared their individual abilities to break into some of the most "secure" institutions in America. Phone phreakers, hackers and security experts would show that real power was in the hands of those who controlled the information, and they set out to ensure they could control any information they wanted. Loosely based on these black hatter organizations, the 1992 film 'Sneakers' was born.
Robert Redford stars as Martin Bishop, a security and computer expert who runs a highly specialized business. "So people hire you to break into their places to make sure that no one can break into their places?" Bishop leads a group consisting of an ex-CIA operative (Sidney Poitier), a paranoid conspiracy theorist (Dan Ackroyd), a recent high school graduate caught by Bishop's team while hacking into the school mainframe to change his grades (River Phoenix), and a blind communications specialist named 'Whistler' (David Strathairn). When Bishop's team is hired by the NSA to steal a black box, suspected to be the ultimate code-breaker, the fun begins.
I could tell you more about the story of this exciting and entertaining film, but the fun of this movie is seeing how things play out and where we'll be taken next. The interaction between the main characters is one of the selling points for this film. The dialogue is high-tech and hilarious at the same time, the action is both thrilling and filled with tension, and the story contains enough twists and turns to keep anyone happy.
Although some of the technological aspects of the film are rapidly becoming outdated, the movie itself has stood the test of time well. It was just as entertaining to watch 13 years later as it was when it first came out. And thanks to a remastered Collector's Edition it looks and sounds as good as ever. Sneakers is presented in crisp 1.85:1 Anamorphic video and features Dolby Digital Surround. While the surround speakers don't get a lot of action from this flick, it's the dialogue and engaging story that make this film worth watching a second time (and third, and fourth).
Ironically, despite the film's slightly dated "high-tech" components, the themes and commentary are just as relevant, if not more so, today. What is control? What is information? Are people really as rich as they think they are, or is just a pattern of 1s and 0s that dictates the true pecking order? I think this movie's continued popularity is partly due to the fact that we live in a pervasive information world. The threat proposed in Sneakers is a magnificent one, even in the 21st century.
The Collector's Edition DVD includes a 40 minute behind-the-scenes look at how Sneakers came to be. Primarily consisting of interviews with the writers and cast, it's a good glimpse at the making of Sneakers and the characters. A director's commentary is also included, but I haven't watched this yet.
I managed to find a brand new copy of Sneakers for $9.99 at Blockbuster. I think this DVD would have been worth twice what I paid, so it was impossible to pass up at such a good price. Sneakers is a fun, engaging, funny, thrill ride that will keep you entertained from beginning to end. Come on over and watch it with me! I'm ready for another viewing.
Sneakers gets 8 modems (out of 10).
Encrypted trivia for 'Sneakers'.
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