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519 reviews in total

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107 out of 159 people found the following review useful:
Too much gloss can't hide a middling action thriller - 53%, 9 March 2005

Author: Mr Ben from Hampshire, England

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...

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64 out of 84 people found the following review useful:
A good time with this film., 10 November 2001

Author: The Flickster from TN

SWORDFISH (2001) Rating: 7/10

Hell, I liked this movie. It's been a while since I've seen an enjoyable, mature action movie. With the slew of PG-13 action movies of recent years, it's refreshing to see one that at least acknowledges that many intense situations do involve language, sex, and mixed character reactions -- it wasn't just another black and white, good and bad movie where the good guy does only good things and the bad guy has only evil intentions. The good guy didn't always do the right thing, and the bad guy could hardly be accused of sinister motives.

I loved the three leads in this film. Hugh Jackman is officially a star with this movie. Hugh has proven himself once before in X-Men as a worthy actor, and he does it again in this film. He's the one that basically pulls you into this movie from the get-go and you actually feel for the poor guy. John Travolta, obviously, has a blast with yet another solid "bad guy" showing, redeeming himself after the lacklustre results of Battlefield Earth and Halle Berry must have enjoyed making this one, since it is a departure from her standard movie roles. Not to mention, she's sexier than ever.

There actually isn't as much action as you would expect in this film, but the opening and closing scenes in the film are some of the best action scenes I have ever seen and really hooks you into the film in the beginning and leaves you thoroughly entertained at the end. It's one of the first uses of "matrix-style camerawork" that I've seen that really adds to the film and isn't just something that "looks cool."

Overall, if you're looking for an "action popcorn" flick with lots of bad guys, gunplay, quick camera movements, fun action sequences and a surprisingly decent storyline that moves along at a quick pace, I'd recommend you rent this film.

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68 out of 99 people found the following review useful:
Cool, Slick and Sexy, 4 February 2005

Author: mjw2305 from England

What is the highest pressure job interview you've ever had?

Well, Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) a convicted Hacker, fresh out of prison and desperate to see his daughter again, can beat you, i'll bet on it. He has to hack into the FBI Computers in a fairly public place, with a gun to his head and a beautiful woman performing an act of Felacio on him, and he has just one minute to do it. (A Great Scene, Not Explict, just cool)

Anyway, he is recruited by John Travolta to hack into a dormant DEA Fund worth 9.5 Billion Dollars to finance his terrorist activities.

Full of Slick Dialogue, cool Direction and the simply gorgeous Halle Berry, this turns out to be a very enjoyable Thriller, with some clever twists (some of which don't quite work) but are forgivable anyway.

Not a classic, but a good film none the less. 8/10

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59 out of 82 people found the following review useful:
Just break the code: there is government money to be had., 4 January 2002

Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Action... explosive action. Clever script. Eye popping special effects. A strong cast, but too much confusion in following the story line. A highly successful computer hacker(Hugh Jackman)is coerced to help a ruthless spy(John Travolta)steal billions of unused government monies obtained in an old DEA drug operation. Don Cheadle is the run ragged FBI agent trying to spoil the by-computer hijacking. Sam Shepard has a small role as a corrupt Senator. The alluring Halle Berry is supposedly an undercover DEA agent whose purpose in the whole procedure is not clear cut.

If you are looking for a good escape from reality; this flick will give you several big bangs for your buck. It is good to see Travolta play a clever, bad ass thug. Some of his best work in a long time. And for the first time, Miss Berry appears topless on screen; and in other various degrees of undress...so nice my eyes hurt. Vinnie Jones is impressive as a strong arm enforcer. Rough and ready entertainment worth your time.

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33 out of 39 people found the following review useful:
Good escapist entertainment, 1 November 2003

Author: perfectbond

I think people have been a little to harsh on this movie. No it is not revelatory but it is a nice glossy diversion. The all-star cast, especially Hugh Jackman, is more than competent though they aren't really challenged. There are enough special effects and stunts intermixed with a fairly compelling narrative (it is not confusing if you just pay attention) to make the film more than worthwhile. Overall good entertainment, 7/10.

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34 out of 47 people found the following review useful:
Like a good old-fashioned action movie, but with a good plot., 9 June 2001

Author: ragefire2000 from Sacramento, California

Swordfish was one of my anxiously awaited summer flicks. And after seeing it a couple hours ago, I am not at all disappointed. It's been awhile since I've seen a truly enjoyable, mature action movie. With the slew of PG-13 action movies of recent years, it's refreshing to see one that at least acknowledges that many intense situations do involve language, sex, and mixed character reactions - it wasn't just another black and white, good and bad movie where the good guy does only good things and the bad guy has only evil intentions. The good guy (Jackman) didn't always do the right thing, and the bad guy (Travolta) could hardly be accused of sinister motives.

The film starts off with a bang ... literally. A big-time action sequence to get out attention, then a flashback to show how the climax of the film came to pass. The out-of-order editing was actually effective and interesting, rather than seeming like yet another failed attempt to mimic Pulp Fiction and those other movies that brought attention to the idea of showing a film out of chronological order.

Jackman was great as computer hacker Stanley Jobson, devoted father who just happened to get brought down for computer-related felonies after hacking into and making public an FBI e-mail surveillance operation. Forbidden to even touch a computer for the rest of his days, he is lured back into the life by Travolta, who offers him $100,000 just to meet him (and take an interesting version of an initiation). Jackman is quickly becoming Hollywood A-list material, and with his performance in Swordfish, it's easy to see why. He can keep up with the smooth-talking, fast-moving Travolta as well as show enough emotion to make him seem like a real person and not just a run-of-the-mill action hero.

The plot of the film is fantastic. It's not just a typical heist film, or action plot where the hero has to save the hostages, blowing the hell out of the bad guys in the process. The plot is complex, interwoven, and has a point. The plot was crucial to keeping interest during the slow parts of the film. Starting out with an action sequence carries the danger of losing audience interest if not followed up by more and more action. Thankfully, the plot manages to retain interest during those points in the film where things aren't exploding and buses aren't flying through metropolitan airspace, suspended from a heavy loading chopper.

The best part about this film was the interractions between the characters. Stanley is a smart guy, and Gabriel's smarter. Just when Stanley (and the audience) thinks they have Gabriel in a tight spot, he'll surprise everyone with some improvised ingenuity. There are so many films in the action genre that result to dumbing down the smart villains, just so the hero of the story will look good when he comes up with a relatively weak solution to the complex plot. The villains often slip up or make some kind of fatal faux pas in judgment that allows the hero to triumph. There's none of that here. The hero and villain are both smart, and both stay that way until the very end.

This is a great summer movie. See it. See it twice or three times, even. If you're looking for high art or something that really speaks to you and changes the way you see the world, don't see it. But if you want to see a movie for the sake of entertainment and having a good time, Swordfish is the movie to go to. If Swordfish is any indication of the rest of this summer's big action blockbusters, we're certainly in good shape this year.

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37 out of 56 people found the following review useful:
First Viewing Was A 'Blast', 20 August 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from United States

Here's a film I really liked the first time, and was totally turned off on the second viewing as the Hollywood bias machine was in high gear again, and you can guess in what director (left or right). Anyway, two things remained the same: John Travolta as "Gabriel Shear" was riveting as an anti-terrorist terrorist. The explosion scene where people are flying sideways is awesome, particularly in the sound department if you have surround system. Oh, and yes, Halle Berry and her figure was on display in this film and quite a sight. Wowzer!

Some of this script is a takeoff on Dog Day Afternoon, which Travolta's character re-enacts a role from that famous '70s film. "Shear" talks about that movie during the film.

I almost got discouraged watching this in the first half hour because there is so much computer terminology that I was lost. However, if you find yourself in a similar spot, take heart because that that ends after that first 30 minutes and is no longer a problem.

Credibility and bias aside, it's still a fun movie for at least one viewing, with that early bomb scene most memorable.

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18 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
A lot of style and action, little substance, 26 February 2007

Author: DrLex from Belgium

This movie can be summed up as: lots of very cool action scenes (fans of both bullet time and explosions will really enjoy this), a lot of style, and a standard implausible plot. This movie is very entertaining if you like non-stop action in a cool high-tech environment.

The ingredients are pretty standard. There's a stylish kick-ass villain (Travolta) with a plan, being a high-tech bank robbery. This is all garnished with lots of weapons, technology, car chases and beautiful women. This movie really delivers on the action front, I don't think there's any 'quiet' scene that lasts more than 2 minutes. It also contains the now standard implausible hacking scenes, where getting into the computer system of a bank involves solving a kind of Rubik's cube on your computer screen. I hope you're not offended by product placement because a certain computer brand is quite prominent when IT hardware is involved in this movie. But it's by far not as obnoxious as in "I, Robot".

The filming is top-notch, unlike some other movies you can actually see what's happening in the action scenes (which is sometimes due to the amazing slow-down effects in some scenes). Unfortunately the entire plot becomes quite thin when the movie is stripped of all this action and style. However, it works. The ending is rather vague, as if room was left for a sequel without making it too painful if there wouldn't be one after all.

Overall I would say this is a pretty OK movie, but don't expect the best cinema ever.

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18 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
Dog Day Afternoon meets The Sting meets The Matrix, 19 July 2001
Author: tedg (tedg@FilmsFolded.com) from Virginia Beach

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Spoilers herein.

Films transport you to a different world, so the beginning of the film, the initiation into that world, is key.

Scriptwriters these days seem to spend much more attention on beginnings than endings, and this film has a terrific beginning. In fact, I was so impressed by the beginning that I will recommend this otherwise dreary film.

It is dreary indeed: Travolta cannot convince that he is as brilliant as he plays. The girl is very pretty, but absolutely fails in convincing of guile and intelligence. The plot doesn't play fair, and that is a must with these types of twists. I cannot understand the hostage plan: if they could do that, why blow that capability on simply getting access to a bank terminal?

Otherwise, we have here a rather ordinary selfreferential device of actors playing actors.

Back to the beginning. That beginning has two parts: Travolta's character talks to us about "Dog Day Afternoon," and how realistic it was. That film is notable specifically because it established a new style of self-awareness, a specific type of theatrical reality. A very intelligent segment -- in what is said, how it is delivered and how the camera acts. (We are eased into this by video sputtering through the titles.) `Vertical Limit' was another disappointing film with a slam-bang beginning.

The second part of the opening segues to the very set of Dog Day, except the attitude here is much more ruthless. A hostage IS killed in a spectacular fashion. And that fashion is highly cinematic, with all sorts of post-matrix still pans and small object tracking. The point is clear: we are here creating a new form here by annotating the Lumet/Pacino model.

A very clever notion. The twists are intended to be a sort of machinegun "Usual Suspects" effect, where everything we learned is undone. Problem is that skills of everyone involved -- actor, writer, director -- aren't strong enough for what they intend, to the thrills stay tepid.

Hugh Jackman could have been the key, leaving travolta to just do his "Broken Arrow" bit but with a cigar instead of a cigarette. And Jackman has the face, halfway between Ed Norton and Mel Gibson. He's at the level of Ms. Berry though, and that's at the merely mugging level.

Finally, I have done some hacking in my time (not cracking as shown here), and I can say that nothing in this film, except maybe the keyboards, resembles either the appearance or the real mystery of the enterprise. It is far cooler and spookier than is imagined by these kids, just hard as hell to show on a screen with what they had to work with.

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20 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
Sick, sick, sick..., 22 June 2001

Author: Mrswing from Brussels

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

SPOILER WARNING : this movie has the most repulsive morality I have seen in a LONG time. We are supposed to root for a heroic villain with despicable methods (slaughtering innocent bystanders) just to keep the American way of life safe, no matter what the cost. The fact that all these innocents are considered as pawns by the filmmakers, not even given a shred of individuality or humanity, just shows how utterly immoral and dishonest the whole enterprise is. If this is what the action movie has stooped to, then maybe the whole genre should be put in the cooler for a few years. And the writer obviously never heard of the saying 'patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel'. Instead, in the world of Swordfish Might Makes Right, and any terrorist attacks on Americans are 'rightly' avenged on an innocent civilian population. Apart from this moral point of view which will play really badly outside of the US (but then, who cares about the population of 5 other continents, right?), the movie as a whole is disappointing. The plot never makes much sense, the emotional aspects of the story are forgotten quickly and clumsily developed. Hugh Jackman should go very far, he is reminiscent of the younger Mel Gibson and a magnetic screen personality. Unfortunately, the character is so underwritten that he spends the last 40 minutes scowling desperately, rather than being allowed to actually act. Add some excessive CGI which diminishes rather than enhances the spectacle, some really bad one-liners and an unfortunate penchant for ridiculous sub-Tarantino monologues about movies (geek country - would any rogue superspy REALLY spend his time thinking about the difference between Hollywood movies and real life? Of course not. But slacker video clerks would), and you are left with a subpar action movie which leaves a truly foul taste in the mouth. Any good points? Well, Jackman, of course, and the sight of a bus being hauled over the LA skyline by a helicopter. But apart from that, a total waste of time, money and (some) talent.

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