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 | security | nsa | encryption | 

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Taglines:

A burglar, a spy, a fugitive, a delinquent, a hacker, and a piano teacher... and these are the good guys.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cosmo (Sir Ben Kingsley) is reminiscent, both by appearance and by the name, of club owner Cosmo Vitelli (Ben Gazzara) in John Cassavetes' The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976).

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Goofs

When Wallace is shooting at Martin while he hides above the ceiling, one of his shots destroys a tile in a spot where Wallace obviously hadn't aimed.

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Quotes

Martin Bishop: You know, I could have been in the NSA, but they found out my parents were married.
[Wallace goes after him, menacing]

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Crazy Credits

The next several cast credits are seen only in normal spelling, but they each come and go letter by letter, as though each was being unscrambled from the one before.

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Alternate Versions

The line "Who's going to save the world Marty? Greenpeace?" in the dubbed Spanish version (DVD) becomes "Who's going to save the world Marty? The military?"

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Connections

Referenced in Dicktown: The Mystery of the Controversial Cosplay (2020)

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Soundtracks

Flamenco Sketches
Written and Performed by Miles Davis
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Light-Hearted Caper Film

I was drawn to Sneakers because I heard the story was of my favorite genre, a spy thriller. However, I found this movie to be more along the lines of a caper film.

Robert Redford is the leader of a team of experts who break into security systems so that institutions (such as banks) can see how good their system is. The team is made up of a diverse group: an ex-Cia agent (Portier) and three computer whizzes (Ackroyd, Phoenix, and the blind Stratharn). The group has great chemistry and often this leads to some fun humor.

Redford and his team are hired by the government (so they believe) to retrieve a black box that can decode encrypted computer firewalls. After retrieving the black box, the team finds themselves in dire trouble.

I was hoping the film would be more intense, yet Sneakers incorporates a lot of humor. It is a fun film and is enjoyable to watch, but if you are looking for a true spy film, then you may want to pass.

This film more closely resembles recent movies like Ocean's 11 or The Italian Job, popcorn films that have some laughs, some danger, and some suspense.

Redford is really great in this movie as is Straitarn; Mary McDonnell is also very good. Phoenix holds his own. Although far from their best roles, Poitier, James Earl Jones, Ackroyd, and Ben Kingsley are decent.

Overall an enjoyable film which incorporates computer hacking before it was mainstream. Rating 7 of 10 stars.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Chinese

Release Date:

11 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les escrocs

Filming Locations:

400 California Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,031,145, 13 September 1992

Gross USA:

$51,432,691

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$105,232,691

Company Credits

Production Co:

Parkes/Lasker productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 118 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1