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Swordfish (2001)

R 99 min  -  Action | Thriller | Crime  -   8 June 2001 (USA)
6.4
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Ratings: 6.4/10 from 89,053 users   Metascore: 32/100 
Reviews: 519 user | 153 critic | 33 from Metacritic.com

A secretive renegade counter-terrorist co-opts the world's greatest hacker (who is trying to stay clean) to steal billions in US Government dirty money.

Director:

Dominic Sena

Writer:

Skip Woods
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Swordfish -- hv post Swordfish -- A secretive renegade counter-terrorist co-opts the world's greatest hacker (who is trying to stay clean) to steal billions in US Government dirty money.
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Travolta ...
Hugh Jackman ...
Halle Berry ...
Don Cheadle ...
Sam Shepard ...
Senator James Reisman
Vinnie Jones ...
Drea de Matteo ...
Melissa
Rudolf Martin ...
Zach Grenier ...
Assistant Director Bill Joy
Camryn Grimes ...
Holly Jobson
Angelo Pagan ...
Torres (as Angelo Pagán)
Chic Daniel ...
SWAT Leader
Kirk B.R. Woller ...
Axel's Lawyer
Carmen Argenziano ...
Agent
Tim DeKay ...
Agent
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Storyline

When the DEA shut down its dummy corporation operation codenamed SWORDFISH in 1986, they had generated $400 million which they let sit around; fifteen years of compound interest has swelled it to $9.5 billion. A covert counter-terrorist unit called Black Cell, headed by the duplicitious and suave Gabriel Shear, wants the money to help finance their raise-the-stakes vengeance war against international terrorism, but it's all locked away behind super-encryption. He brings in convicted hacker Stanley Jobson, who only wants to see his daughter Holly again but can't afford the legal fees, to slice into the government mainframes and get the money. Written by Jeff Cross <blackjac_1998@yahoo.com>  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Computer | Terrorism | Shot Through A Window | Murder | Pistol  | See more »

Taglines:

Password Accepted See more »

Genres:

Action | Thriller | Crime

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality/nudity See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English | German

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Passwort: Swordfish See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$18,145,632 (USA) (10 June 2001) (2678 Screens)

Gross:

$69,772,969 (USA) (16 September 2001)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

DTS  | Dolby Digital  | SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The dramatic explosion at the start of the film was captured using 135 synchronized still cameras. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: After driving his daughter home, Stan reverses his car and hits the door of the FBI agents' car, breaking its passenger side window. When the car later catches up to him, you can see that its door and window are still in perfect shape. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Gabriel: You know what the problem with Hollywood is? They make shit. Unbelievable, unremarkable shit. Now I'm not some grungy wannabe filmmaker that's searching for existentialism through a haze of bong smoke or something. No, it's easy to pick apart bad acting, short-sighted directing, and a purely moronic stringing together of words that many of the studios term as "prose". No, I'm talking about the lack of realism. Realism; not a pervasive element in today's modern American cinematic vision. Take Dog Day Afternoon, for example. Arguably Pacino's best work, short of Scarface and Godfather Part 1, of course. Masterpiece of directing, easily Lumet's best. The cinematography, the acting, the screenplay, all top-notch. But... they didn't push the envelope. Now what if in Dog Day, Sonny wanted to get away with it, REALLY wanted to get away with it? What if - now here's the tricky part - what if he started killing hostages right away? No mercy, no quarter. "Meet our demands or the pretty blonde in the bellbottoms gets it the back of the head." Bam, splat! What, still no bus? Come on! How many innocent victims splattered across a window would it take to have the city reverse its policy on hostage situations? And this is 1976; there's no CNN, there's no CNBC, there's no internet! Now fast forward to today, present time, same situation. How quickly would the modern media make a frenzy over this? In a matter of hours, it'd be biggest story from Boston to Budapest! Ten hostages die, twenty, thirty; bam bam, right after another, all caught in high-def, computer-enhanced, color corrected. You can practically taste the brain matter. All for what? A bus, a plane? A couple of million dollars that's federally insured? I don't think so. Just a thought. I mean, it's not within the realm of conventional cinema... but what if?
See more »

Crazy Credits

The last credit reads "Final Password: Vernam", which is part of the
website game. (See Trivia). A Vernam cypher is a method of encrypting
a message. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Kaante (2002) See more »

Soundtracks

"Stanley's Theme"
Written by Paul Oakenfold and Andy Gray
Performed by Paul Oakenfold
Courtesy of London-Sire Records See more »