Sneakers (1992)

A security pro finds his past coming back to haunt him, when he and his unique team are tasked with retrieving a particularly important item.

Director:

Phil Alden Robinson

Writers:

Phil Alden Robinson, Lawrence Lasker

Stars:

Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Sidney Poitier

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jo Marr	...	College-Aged Cosmo (as Jojo Marr)
Gary Hershberger	...	College-Aged Bishop
Robert Redford	...	Bishop
Sidney Poitier	...	Crease
David Strathairn	...	Whistler
Dan Aykroyd	...	Mother
River Phoenix	...	Carl
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 specialize 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

computer | cryptography | teamwork | heist movie | heist | 

---

Taglines:

To trust can be murder.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief sexual references

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Chinese

Release Date:

11 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les experts

Filming Locations:

400 California Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$51,433,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$105,233,000

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

Phil Alden Robinson graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York. Union College is used as the backdrop for the college scene, at the beginning of the movie.

---

Goofs

Believing that he has located a hidden Martin Bishop, Wallace fires his pump-action shotgun into the ceiling four times, each time cycling the weapon to eject the spent shell casing and chamber a fresh shell. When Martin finally emerges and surrenders, Wallace cycles the weapon a fifth time without ever firing a fifth shell, thereby ejecting a perfectly good and usable round from the gun. While this may have been done intentionally in order to startle and intimidate Bishop, it also seems like a needless waste of ammunition.

---

Quotes

Whistler: Fellas, Janek's little black box is on his desk between the pencil jar and the lamp.
Mother: Uh, Whistler, I hate to tell you this, but you're blind.

---

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).

---

Connections

Referenced in Bones: The Past in the Present (2012)

---

Soundtracks

Really
Written by Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper
Performed by Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper & Stephen Stills (as Steven Stills)
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

The last good hacking movie

I was saddened that this movie had such a low rating. I've watched it many, many times over the years, and it continues to entertain. It is, perhaps, the last good "hacker" film (well, 23 (1998) also comes to mind, but that isn't widely available in English).

The math is believable (Janek's lecture makes sense), as is the technology (except for the Hollywood-ish decryption displays -- but that's forgivable). The characters are among the most realistic in any of these movies (with the exception of Joey the lamer in Hackers (1995) -- most accurate character in a hacking movie I've seen yet). They're each composites of well-known people from the 80s security scene. The techniques they use are the techniques of the business, especially in that era.

Now that computers have become such a big thing, I don't think it would be possible for Hollywood to produce another movie like this. Anything made now would have to be far more glamorous and unrealistic.

What's this movie got, if you don't care about any of that stuff? It's tremendously funny, cleverly written (every scene works overtime to say and do more than one thing), and beautifully shot and scored. (The opening scene and transition is wonderful) The acting is priceless. I've never met someone who didn't love this film. See it.