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.

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Plot Keywords:

computer | cryptography | teamwork | heist movie | heist | 

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Taglines:

To trust can be murder.

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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:

11 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Héroes por azar

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

To prevent the project from being thought of as a kids' movie, by being rated G, Phil Alden Robinson intentionally added profanity to the script.

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Goofs

In the opening scene set in 1969, the display terminal is clearly showing IBM VGA 40-column text. The IBM VGA standard was not developed until 1987.

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Quotes

Carl: It's fascinating what fifty bucks will get you at the county recorder's office.
Martin Bishop: What have you got?
Carl: Playtronics Corporate Headquarters, the complete blueprints.
Martin Bishop: Not bad. Not bad, Carl.
Carl: Well, thanks.
Martin Bishop: Where'd you get the fifty bucks?
Carl: Took it from Mother's wallet.
Martin Bishop: Good.

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Crazy Credits

After the closing credits, and after the MPAA rating, a smiley-face appears, and then a directive to visit Universal Studios in Hollywood.

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Connections

Version of Sneakers

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Soundtracks

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
Written by Jim Croce
Performed by George Cheung (as George Kee Cheung)
Chinese Translation by George Cheung (as George Kee Cheung)

User Reviews

Interesting hacker movie for its time

Given that this came out in 1992, the level of technology in it is amazing. I watched this twice, the latest in 1999, and still am amazed at some of the things they can do with computers. Of course, some hacking techniques are commonplace and outdated now, but it is still engrossing to see these acts in action.

Watching it a second time gives you a sense of perspective though. Back then, to think that a chip that can control the world was preposterous, but now, with almost everything microchip-controlled, and the ubiquity of the Internet, that thought is not too farfetched.

Talking in movie terms, this ranks as one of the better ones that center around computers. There is some solid acting, and though there are sub-plots within the main plot, they do not grow so much so as to overwhelm the main storyline, which is basically a group of men hired to find the chip-that-controls-everything.