| Photos (See all 83 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 7) |
| John Travolta | ... | Gabriel Shear | |
| Hugh Jackman | ... | Stanley Jobson | |
| Halle Berry | ... | Ginger Knowles | |
| Don Cheadle | ... | Agent J.T. Roberts | |
| Sam Shepard | ... | Senator James Reisman | |
| Vinnie Jones | ... | Marco | |
| Drea de Matteo | ... | Melissa | |
| Rudolf Martin | ... | Axl Torvalds | |
| 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 | |
| Laura Lane | ... | Helga | |
| Tait Ruppert | ... | Ad Agency Executive | |
| Craig Braun | ... | Coroner | |
| William Mapother | ... | Gabriel's Crew | |
| Ilia Volok | ... | Gabriel's Crew | |
| Jonathan Fraser | ... | Gabriel's Crew | |
| Shawn Woods | ... | Gabriel's Crew | |
| Leo Lee | ... | Gabriel's Crew | |
| Marina Black | ... | Hostage | |
| Kerry Kletter | ... | Hostage | |
| Ryan Wulff | ... | Hostage | |
| Ann Travolta | ... | Hostage | |
| Margaret Travolta | ... | Hostage | |
| Dana Hee | ... | Hostage | |
| Denney Pierce | ... | Hostage | |
| Jeff Ramsey | ... | Hostage | |
| Joey Box | ... | Hostage | |
| Debbie Evans | ... | Hostage | |
| Sam Travolta | ... | Hostage (as Samuel J. Travolta) | |
| Tim Storms | ... | Hostage | |
| Jason Christopher | ... | Club Kid | |
| Jonathan Pessin | ... | Club Kid | |
| Scott Burkholder | ... | FBI Geek | |
| Mark Soper | ... | FBI Geek | |
| Craig Lally | ... | Customs Agent | |
| Rusty McClennon | ... | Customs Agent | |
| Mark Riccardi | ... | Customs Agent | |
| Debbie Entin | ... | Helga's Friend | |
| Natalia Sokolova | ... | Helga's Friend | |
| Anika Poitier | ... | Helga's Friend | |
| Nick Loren | ... | Dark Suit | |
| Tom Morris | ... | Policeman | |
| Richard Householder | ... | Policeman | |
| Michael Arias | ... | Policeman | |
| Brenda Eimers | ... | Holly's Teacher | |
| Timothy Omundson | ... | Agent Thomas | |
| Astrid Veillon | ... | Bank Executive | |
| Dean Rader-Duval | ... | Security Guard (as Dean Rader Duval) | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| George A. Chase | ... | Bystander (uncredited) | |
| Corinne Chooey | ... | Hostage (uncredited) | |
| Russ Cootey | ... | School Guard (uncredited) | |
| Mark Donnell | ... | Bar Fighter (uncredited) | |
| Tate Donovan | ... | Senator Reisman's Assistant (uncredited) | |
| Sierra Farber | ... | Little Girl (uncredited) | |
| Mimi Fletcher | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Andrew Lakey | ... | Officer (uncredited) | |
| Alex Morissen | ... | Nightclub Character (uncredited) | |
| Cory Parella | ... | Nightclub Goer (uncredited) | |
| Gary Rodriguez | ... | Precision Driver (uncredited) | |
| Travis Rosario | ... | School Child (uncredited) | |
| George Marshall Ruge | ... | Advertising Executive (uncredited) | |
| Kevin F. Sherry | ... | Los Angeles Times Reporter (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Dominic Sena | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Skip Woods | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Bruce Berman | .... | executive producer | |
| Dan Cracchiolo | .... | co-producer | |
| Anson Downes | .... | associate producer | |
| Linda Favila | .... | associate producer | |
| Jonathan D. Krane | .... | producer | |
| Joel Silver | .... | producer | |
| Jim Van Wyck | .... | executive producer | |
| Skip Woods | .... | co-producer | |
| Paul Winze | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Paul Oakenfold | |||
| Christopher Young | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Paul Cameron | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Stephen E. Rivkin | (as Stephen Rivkin) | ||
Casting by | |||
| Lora Kennedy | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Jeff Mann | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Geoff Hubbard | |||
| Andrew Laws | |||
| Jeff Wallace | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Jay Hart | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Ha Nguyen | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Joseph 'Neeko' Abriol | .... | hair stylist: Halle Berry | |
| Sheryl Blum | .... | hair stylist | |
| Mary Burton | .... | makeup artist: Halle Berry | |
| Michelle Bühler | .... | makeup artist: Mr. Travolta (as Michelle Buhler) | |
| Debra Coleman | .... | makeup artist | |
| Mindy Hall | .... | makeup supervisor | |
| Rob Hinderstein | .... | special makeup effects artist | |
| Susan V. Kalinowski | .... | hair stylist: Mr. Travolta (as Sue Kalinowski) | |
| Mary L. Mastro | .... | key hair stylist (as Mary Mastro) | |
| Steven R. Soussanna | .... | hair stylist | |
| Christien Tinsley | .... | key makeup artist | |
| Barbara Wilder | .... | hair stylist | |
| Cheryl Ann Nick | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
| Eden Orfanos | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Frédéric Bovis | .... | production manager (as Frederick Bovis) | |
| Mark Scoon | .... | executive in charge of production | |
| Ronald G. Smith | .... | unit production manager | |
| Elizabeth Miller Gavcus | .... | post-production executive (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Dan Bradley | .... | second unit director | |
| Katie Carroll | .... | second second assistant director | |
| Mark Cotone | .... | first assistant director (as Mark G. Cotone) | |
| John Elmore | .... | second assistant director | |
| Christina Fong | .... | second assistant director | |
| Basil Grillo | .... | second second assistant director | |
| Gil Kenny | .... | assistant director | |
| Jayson Merrill | .... | second assistant director: second unit | |
| Craig A. Pinckes | .... | first assistant director: second unit (as Craig Pinckes) | |
| Lisa C. Satriano | .... | first assistant director: second unit (as Lisa Satriano) | |
| Nick Satriano | .... | second assistant director: second unit | |
| Robert 'Skid' Skidmore | .... | dga trainee | |
| Nicholas Wolfert | .... | second assistant director: second unit | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| James Balsam | .... | motion control camera operator | |
| Peter Baustaedter | .... | digital matte painter | |
| Cosmas Paul Bolger Jr. | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Chris Bond | .... | visual effects supervisor: Frantic Films | |
| Jason Booth | .... | rotoscope artist | |
| Kristen Branan | .... | executive producer: digital.art.media | |
| Serena Chang | .... | texture artist | |
| Patrick Clancey | .... | digital compositor: The Post Group | |
| Bill Coffin | .... | digital compositor | |
| Michael Condro | .... | visual effects | |
| Andrea D'Amico | .... | visual effects producer: R!OT Pictures | |
| Avishkar Dahiya | .... | president: Digital Art Media | |
| Mitchell S. Drain | .... | visual effects supervisor: Digital.Art.Media | |
| Conrad Dueck | .... | 3D lead/supervisor | |
| Dennis Fitzsimmons | .... | digital effects artist | |
| Adam Francis | .... | motion control technician | |
| Derry Frost | .... | director of production: Amalgamated Pixels | |
| Gina Galvan | .... | digital effects producer | |
| Jared Gray | .... | production assistant: digital.art.media | |
| Rhonda C. Gunner | .... | visual effects producer (as Rhonda Gunner) | |
| Jongwoo Heo | .... | visual effects | |
| Mark Intravartolo | .... | digital compositor | |
| Joni Jacobson | .... | digital compositor | |
| Oded Yosef Kassirer | .... | digital artist (as Oded Kassirer) | |
| Joe Ken | .... | digital compositor | |
| Scott Kirvan | .... | technical advisor | |
| Marc Kolbe | .... | visual effects supervisor: Digital.Art.Media | |
| Sean Konrad | .... | digital compositor | |
| Richard Kratt | .... | digital compositor | |
| Ken Lam | .... | digital compositor | |
| Don Lee | .... | digital compositor | |
| Spencer Levy | .... | digital artist | |
| Tom Mahoney | .... | digital compositor | |
| Matt McFarland | .... | scanning & recording manager | |
| Rob Meyers | .... | visual effects | |
| Michael Morreale | .... | executive producer: Amalgamated Pixels Inc. | |
| Craig A. Mumma | .... | visual effects supervisor: Digital.Art.Media | |
| Jaime Norman | .... | visual effects coordinator | |
| Josh Novak | .... | lead compositor: main title sequence | |
| Jeremy Oddo | .... | digital artist | |
| Phillip Palousek | .... | visual effects coordinator: Amalgamated Pixels Inc. | |
| Marco S. Paolini | .... | digital compositor | |
| Rocco Passionino | .... | digital effects supervisor: Visionart | |
| Brad Pitre | .... | digital artist | |
| Rafe Sacks | .... | digital compositor | |
| Gregory S. Scribner | .... | digital artist | |
| Michael Shand | .... | 2D lead: Frantic Films | |
| Boyd Shermis | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Mark Shoaf | .... | digital artist | |
| Bridget M. Taylor | .... | digital artist: Digital Art Media/Vision Art | |
| Esdras Varagnolo | .... | lead digital artist | |
| Archie Villaverde | .... | digital artist | |
| Chad Wiebe | .... | visual effects: Frantic Films | |
| Ken Zorniak | .... | visual effects producer | |
| David Alexander | .... | digital artist (uncredited) | |
| Tom Baker | .... | digital effects coordinator (uncredited) | |
| Matt Broeska | .... | CG artist (uncredited) | |
| Jordan Byrne | .... | assistant visual effects coordinator: Amalgamated Pixels, Inc. (uncredited) | |
| Brenda Campbell | .... | digital compositor (uncredited) | |
| Marla Carter Barrett | .... | Flame compositor: The Post Group (uncredited) | |
| Paolo deGuzman | .... | digital artist: TSL (uncredited) | |
| Sam Edwards | .... | digital compositor (uncredited) | |
| Robert Green | .... | digital artist (uncredited) | |
| Kyle J. Healey | .... | technical assistance: TSL (uncredited) | |
| Todd Isroelit | .... | visual effects producer: TSL (uncredited) | |
| Jon-Marc Kortsch | .... | digital artist (uncredited) | |
| Mark Lipsmeyer | .... | tracker/matchmover: VisionArt/digital.art.media (uncredited) | |
| Erin May | .... | visual effects producer: Post Logic (uncredited) | |
| Didier Muenza | .... | tech support (uncredited) | |
| Kate Neumann | .... | executive assistant: Digital.Art.Media (uncredited) | |
| Michael Pecchia | .... | digital compositor (uncredited) | |
| Travis Price | .... | digital artist (uncredited) | |
| Marc Scott | .... | digital compositor (uncredited) | |
| James D. Tittle | .... | facility manager: digital.art.media (uncredited) | |
| Chris 'Willie' Williams | .... | digital artist (uncredited) | |
| Deborah Wiltman | .... | digital compositor (uncredited) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Jennifer Bender | .... | extras casting | |
| Belinda Gardea | .... | casting associate | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Charlene Amateau | .... | costume supervisor | |
| Elena Balshem | .... | costumer | |
| James P. Cullen | .... | costumer: Mr. Travolta (as Jim Cullen) | |
| Carol Demarti | .... | head dyer and ager | |
| Perri Kimono | .... | key costumer | |
| Bob Moore Jr. | .... | set costumer | |
| Lisa D. Quercioli | .... | costumer: Halle Berry (as Lisa Quercioli) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Catherine Chase | .... | first assistant editor: film | |
| Brigitte Daloin | .... | assistant editor | |
| Janice Friedman | .... | assistant editor | |
| Mo Henry | .... | negative cutter | |
| Ian Slater | .... | first assistant editor | |
| Kurt Smith | .... | color timer | |
| Bill Daly | .... | post-production executive (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Pete Anthony | .... | conductor | |
| Pete Anthony | .... | orchestrator | |
| Bruce Babcock | .... | orchestrator | |
| Samantha Barker | .... | assistant to composer | |
| Tom Boyd | .... | musician: oboe soloist | |
| Kostas Christides | .... | orchestrator (as Konstantinos Christides) | |
| Kostas Christides | .... | score coordinator (as Konstantinos Christides) | |
| Sandy DeCrescent | .... | orchestra contractor | |
| Andrew Dorfman | .... | music editor | |
| Robert Fernandez | .... | scoring mixer | |
| M.B. Gordy | .... | musician: Percussion | |
| Paul S. Henning | .... | orchestrator | |
| Tanya Noel Hill | .... | music editor | |
| Jon Kull | .... | orchestrator | |
| Bill Liston | .... | orchestrator | |
| Gerard K. Marino | .... | music producer: electronic score | |
| Thomas Milano | .... | music editor | |
| Flavio Motalla | .... | score producer | |
| Don Nemitz | .... | orchestrator | |
| Paul Oakenfold | .... | music supervisor | |
| Steven L. Smith | .... | music preparation | |
| Jasper Randall | .... | scoring coordinator: Christopher Young (uncredited) | |
| Gernot Wolfgang | .... | scoring coordinator (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Steve Bonner | .... | driver: special equipment | |
| Alberto Coto | .... | driver | |
| Vic Cuccia | .... | transportation captain | |
| Bruce Fox | .... | transportation | |
| James R. Guillory | .... | insert car driver | |
| Buck Holland | .... | driver | |
| William P. Lafon | .... | driver | |
| Leo Landa | .... | driver: insert car | |
| Randy Luna | .... | driver | |
| Kenneth Newland | .... | driver | |
| Jim Petti | .... | transportation | |
| Dan Romero | .... | transportation coordinator | |
| Michael Sean Ryan | .... | transportation co-captain | |
| William Smallwood | .... | rigging electric driver | |
| Jay Thompson | .... | driver | |
| Erik Von Hof | .... | picture car department | |
| Randy White | .... | picture car coordinator | |
| Dean Winton | .... | driver | |
| Bill Young | .... | precision driver coordinator | |
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There are, in my mind, two things that the film "Swordfish" is famous for. The first is the fact that it features what I think is the most beautiful car ever produced - the British-made TVR Tuscan. It's the sort of car you'd like to see parked in your drive every morning, even if you weren't going to drive it. The second is that it's the first film that Halle Berry decided to get her baps out in and unnecessarily so, as it turns out. While I debated with myself which one of the two I'd rather look at, the film continued on it's crash-bang-wallop course of international computer hackery and stylish but maniacal villains.
In "Swordfish", we enter the world of Gabriel Shear (John Travolta, looking all the world like a 21st century Dracula) - renowned playboy, super-fly criminal genius and determined to pull off the heist of the century. He's James Bond, Shaft and Austin Powers in one, if you can imagine so much ego fitting into an Armani suit. He recruits washed-up former hacker Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) to provide various worm programs and hacking expertise to steal 9.5 billion dollars from under the US Government's nose. As you do. For Stanley, it's a no-win situation. Enticed by the prospect of a major pay-off and custody of his daughter from his ex-wife, Jobson would tell Gabriel to shove his job if it wasn't for the mysterious but sexy Ginger (Halle Berry) egging him on. And jitters are the last thing the ruthless Gabriel needs.
Despite his enthusiasm for the picture, producer Joel Silver has gone down a notch on my list of favourite people in Hollywood. This is as disposable action as you can get, almost as if he's trying to out-do Jerry Bruckheimer. The explosions are bigger, the stakes are higher (nine and a half billion, for God's sake!) and the characters are cooler. Or so he thinks. Truth is, the near-constant kaboom of special effects and pyrotechnics drown out what might have been an intelligent thriller. By the time of the ridiculous finale (which makes no sense at all), you've already forgotten everything else. And aside from Jackman and Travolta who have most of the dialogue, Berry and Gabriel's henchman Marco (Vinnie Jones, bizarrely if your name's Marco) have next to nothing to do. Berry strips and Jones grimaces like their lives depended on it. Berry should know better but for the inexperienced former soccer thug, this should be a lesson well learnt. But then again, this didn't stop him from remaking "The Mean Machine".
As action films go, it is undeniably entertaining. The plot twists its way around the action, revealing more about Gabriel and why he's such a sanctimonious prat. And the set-pieces are also very impressive, if slightly over the top. Simply by shooting a SUV can one cause the vehicle not only to explode like the Manhatten project but also make the now flaming wreckage flip through the sky like a Romanian gymnast. Physics clearly don't apply in LA, like the strange time-bubble surrounding the city which allows Gabriel to fly to Oregan and back in less than an afternoon. Hmmm, says I. Clearly, the film-makers were trying to make as entertaining a piece as possible but they over-did it. Less is more, or so they say and it is advice Silver and director Dominic Sena would be wise to listen to. Shame, really. That TVR is just gorgeous...