Sneakers (1992)

Complex but lighthearted thriller about computers and cryptography, government and espionage, secrets and deception and betrayal.

Director:

Phil Alden Robinson

Writers:

Phil Alden Robinson, Lawrence Lasker,

Stars:

Jo Marr, Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jo Marr	...	College-Aged Cosmo (as Jojo Marr)
Gary Hershberger	...	College-Aged Bishop
Robert Redford	...	Martin 'Marty' Bishop
Sidney Poitier	...	Donald Crease
David Strathairn	...	Irwin 'Whistler' Emery
Dan Aykroyd	...	Darren 'Mother' Roskow
River Phoenix	...	Carl Arbogast
Bodhi Elfman	...	Centurion S&L Night Guard
Denise Dowse	...	Bank Teller
Hanyee	...	Bank Secretary
Timothy Busfield	...	Dick Gordon
Eddie Jones	...	Buddy Wallace
Time Winters	...	Homeless Man
Mary McDonnell	...	Liz
Jun Asai	...	Piano Prodigy

Storyline

Martin Bishop is the head of a group of experts who specialise in testing security systems. When he is blackmailed by Government agents into stealing a top secret black box, the team find themselves embroiled in a game of danger and intrigue. After they recover the box, they discover that it has the capability to decode all existing encryption systems around the world, and that the agents who hired them didn't work for the Government after all...

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Plot Keywords:

computer | encryption | cryptography | russia | scrabble | 

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Taglines:

We could tell you what it's about. But then, of course, we'd have to kill you.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief sexual references

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Chinese

Release Date:

9 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Héroes por azar

Filming Locations:

2nd Street Tunnel between Hill and Figueroa, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$51,433,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 118 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Redford's jacket is the same one he wears in The Natural.

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Goofs

When Whistler shifts the van from reverse to drive, it makes the sound of gears grinding as if it were a manual transmission. An automatic transmission does not grind gears together, but the shifting motion clearly is that of an automatic.

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Quotes

Whistler: That was very good, Bish. Remind me to make you an honorary blind person.

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Crazy Credits

After the Universal logo, the first words on screen are A TURNIP CURES ELVIS; the letters then jump onto another line one by one, solving the anagram to form UNIVERSAL PICTURES (and PRESENTS is then added).

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Connections

References The Blues Brothers (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Violin Concerto in E"
BWV 1042
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Courtesy of Laser Light Digital
By Arrangement with Sounds of Film

User Reviews

A hacker classic.

Sneakers is still fun to watch after 12 years and it was a great look at the time in which it was made. 12 years ago, the Cold War just ended and nobody was really sure how things were going to shape up geopolitically. Sneakers captured that mood perfectly and kept things tense with the soundtrack, locations and set work.

It's got the best balance of technical accuracy verses ease of viewing that I've ever seen on film. Not too many cartoon-like computer interfaces but no staring for minutes at a time at command line interfaces. Sneakers also gets points for being in the Bay Area and traveling among places that I visit every day (Hills Brother Coffee Building for the 'box drop' and the Dumbarton Bridge - for starters). Actors have fun with their roles although it's obvious that Sidney Poitier, Robert Redford, Ben Kingsley and James Earl Jones are not delivering their A-Game. It doesn't matter, it doesn't make it any less fun to watch. I like Phil Alden Robinson's camera movements; don't forget to look for the long, low slide across the Scrabble pieces right in a pivotal moment of the plot.

The movie still retains some relevance today. Ben Kingsley offers that gem " world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!" gains some credibility especially in the face of the post-9/11 news reporting on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News. Trash-diving is still a viable option to gain information on your opponent and social engineering will always work to help you gain some information.

Sneakers is still one of the best mainstream treatments on the subject of hacking. Watch, learn, enjoy.