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:

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

James Earl Jones, Timothy Busfield, and Lee Garlington appeared in Phil Alden Robinson's Field of Dreams (1989).

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Goofs

When Cosmo swipes his ID card at Werner's office the magnetic stripe is facing away from the reader.

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Quotes

[Crease and Mother are being held at gunpoint by two guards]
Donald Crease: Did I ever tell you why I had to leave the CIA?
Mother: No...
Donald Crease: My temper.
[Behind the guards, Whistler throws the van into reverse. One of the guards spins around to look, and Crease grabs his shotgun and knocks out both guards]
Mother: Wow...
Donald Crease: Motherfuckers mess with me, I'll split your head!

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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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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 Bones: The Past in the Present (2012)

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Soundtracks

Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35
Written and Performed by Bob Dylan
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Guilty Pleasure

There are a bunch of movies which might not be GREAT, but really good, and you can watch them over and over again. Rainy day movies. "Sneakers" is without a doubt such a movie.

It is a lightweight caper which gets into a higher division thanks to the acting: Redford is always good, as is Strathairn, Kingsley and McDonnell. The other actors do a really good job as well, but these four stand out in my opinion.

There are twists and turns in the script, Great San Francisco locations and lots of underplayed humor in this film, all contributing to that the movie can be seen several times.

Take it for what it is, and you'll have a really good time in front of the TV.