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Customer Reviews:- CLEVER CAPER FILM-SURPRISE, SURPRISE
REDFORD, PORTIER AND COMPANY ARE EXCELLENT. FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS WITH NO END IN SIGHT. I DELIGHT IN NEW SURPRISES (PREVIOUSLY MISSED) WITH EACH VIEWING. CHECK IT OUT!...more info - One of my ALL TIME favs
I've enjoyed this movie for many years on video tape, loaned it to someone and now caouldn't find it. My daughter found the me in DVD on Amazon.com. It's about 'hackers', people paid to try to break into banks, break codes, etc. I LOVE this movie! It has an all-star cast....more info - Sneakers
I love this movie. I am beginning a collection of older movies to good not to have. Love Robert Redford....more info - Sneakers
A compelling thriller that combines humour and intrigue with perfection, the stellar cast gives performances of a life time and the story keeps you guessing right to the end....more info - One of River Phoenix's best
This movie was brilliantly cast, and everyone in it is great. It is a really fun movie, even if all the computer stuff is outdated now. It's funny, it's intense, and it's one of River Phoenix's best performances, I thought....more info - great film, over some heads.....
i thought i would review this as not many women seem to have reviewed it thus far. i have seen this film many, many times and i still thoroughly enjoy it. to those who say it is stupid or they can't follow the plot........perhaps you just don't have the right mind for it. it isn't fast-paced with explosions and james-bond helicopter chases and girls in bikinis. what it does offer is an intellectually based, character driven plot. this is not for the mtv-viewing sort. as someone else noted, the score is amazing. it really adds to the film as opposed to merely just being muzak. i don't mean to sound snobby, but this film isn't for the sort that like films such as "2 fast, 2 furious" or "american pie".....ok, i have seen one of those films but found it really stupid. also, though this film isn't a "chick-flick", i think it really appeals to both sexes. i totally recommend this film. see it!!...more info - Just Fun to Watch.
SNEAKERS is about a group of security analysts led by Martin Bishop (Robert Redford) who are hired by the National Security Agency to steal a special black box, created by a world renown mathematician, that has the capability to breaking all cryptographic codes. However, the group soon discovers that they weren't working for the NSA and instead are caught up in a twisted game of espionage with a man who wants revenge against Bishop.
SNEAKERS is a really entertaining movie to watch. The plot is somewhat far-fetched, despite being more realistic than the typical spy-thriller movie. The movie is made even more enjoyable because of top quality acting from an All-Star cast: Robert Redford, Ben Kingsley, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, River Phoenix, Timothy Busfield, and Mary McDonnell. Besides the acting, another element that makes this movie just a notch above the typical spy-thriller is it's score. The music really elevates the movie and helps hide some of the minor discrepancies with the plot.
A very enjoyable movie....more info - Just plain bad...
This has got to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I really don't understand how it got all these reviews. First of all, to call this movie a thriller is an insult to the genre, and it is a misnomer. The only way to enjoy this movie, if is it is possible at all, is to call it what it is: a comedy. It really is a comedy. But the problem is that it is even a bad one at that. This movie starts out as a thriller, so we don't know it is a comedy, until half an hour or so into it. When you first see the comedy scenes, you think it is a flaw, but keep on watching. But after an hour or so, it totally degenerates. And at the end, the writer or the director must have decided that it is not possible to pull this together anyway, so why not make it a complete comedy? The finale gives the impression that they wanted the movie to be a satire may be, but it is too late for that. I mean it is not possible to make anything of this movie. It is not possible to say it has a plausible or consistent plot. There are gaping holes in the plot. And then it is too serious at times to be a comedy. I would nonetheless put it in that genre. If you want a good thriller, there are very good ones out there, don't waste your time with this. If you want satire on government, or conspiracy theories, don't waste your time with this either. Watch this movie if you can't sleep and there is nothing on TV. Totally disappointing....more info - A strong, intellectually intriguing movie
When I first saw this movie I was expecting something completely different. Being a software developer, I was expecting the standard stereotype of eccentric not-in-touch-with-reality radical leftist computer nerds. What I got instead was a bunch of really fun characters that I thoroughly identified with and who covered the gamut of personality types. The plot was somewhat believable (the core plot device notwithstanding) and the choices the characters made to come out on top were also fairly enjoyable, such as the sightless gentleman driving the van down a steep embankment to save his buddies with only radioed instructions to keep him on track. What few persons have mentioned, however, in these reviews is that the movie also has a winning soundtrack. Its theme is quite catchy and emminently memorable. Pay no attention to the gentleman who says the movie isn't worth anything. This movie was meant to be a cut above the rest and it succeeded. If someone was unable to enjoy it, then I unashamedly chalk it up to his small mind....more info - Superlative Film; DVD is Lacking in Supplements
I currently own the original Widescreen Edition (1998 Universal). I'll buy the 2003 Collector's Edition, but I'm very disappointed by the paucity of extras: This movie is too good to have this few DVD extras.One of my favorite movies of all time, for all of the same reasons listed by others here. I own the original DVD, which was released in 16:9 anamorphic, quite ahead of its time. Unfortunately, it's painful to see a favorite movie come out on DVD with so few Special Features. This was a wasted opportunity, considering the quintessential ensemble cast that made this movie as fun as it is. The movie's 11 years old, and while I'm glad Universal thought enough to re-release it earlier this year with director Phil Alden Robinson doing a commentary track, I think there's much more that could have been done. I can understand the difficulty in tracking down such an incredible ensemble cast after 11 years. But as a consumer, I can say: this movie is too good to have this few DVD extras. I *will* buy this new version for the following reasons: It's under $15, my existing copy is worn from repeated use, and I have been hoping for extras such as Robinson's commentary. I am, however, disappointed at the waste of potential on Universal's part: The quality of this movie deserves a DVD with a lot more to it. 5 stars for the movie, 2 stars for the extra features....more info - SNEEEEEKERS
Real good movie. It was pretty dramatic. It was one of River Phoenix's last flicks. Intelligent movie too, with the blind guy and what not....more info - Just a little black box...
I writing this review for reason of making up for all the other reviews that didn't give it 5 stars. You can't judgge every movie on how emotionally significant it is. Some movies are just Fun to watch; like Sneakers. I'm an avid fan of movies and I usually watch my favorites to death. But Sneakers has had that effect on me, I watch it. and watch it. And constantly enjoy the splendid characters, tireless classic lines, and a sense of thrill/suspence that never fades....more info - Masterful intrigue
This film captivates the viewer from the first scene. Redford's portrayal of a security firm's team leader is excellent. His supporting cast shows what a broad range of talent is necessary to handle the roles imposed by dealing with security issues. Each is a social malcontent, yet wholly professional as they address the questions posed by clients and circumstances. Among them, David Strathairn stands out. Comparing his presentation with his base commander role in Memphis Belle shows the depth of his abilities. As a blind techie relying on hearing alone, his contribution to this film is sensational. The only predictable figure is Dan Akroyd - he seems to come straight from a Ghostbusters take without shedding any of that character. Ben Kingsley, as Redford's Mafia foil, provides a stunning presentation of a man caught up in the realities of today's information saturated world.While the plot of this film is thin, the actors rise above its limitations with their performances. This film isn't about 'hacking', it's about advances in information technology. What is needed to protect information used in airline routing, medical research or electrical grids? The technology is valid, a 'super cracker' device is under investigation by countless agencies, both government and private. Today's mathematics will provide such a device, but one hopes it won't be achieved by the strange character depicted in this film. The serious question arises over who will control it. James Earl Jones, as the government agent who ultimately acquires the cracker is far too easygoing for the job he fills. That being said, the message of this film is vivvidly expressed. It's a film worthy of any library, to be viewed frequently for its impact....more info - Sneak a peek!
This movie was great. The plot, the acting, the humor, all of it. Its pretty interesting what small peices of equipment can do. The only thing is, just like the liar liar cd, this cd wont play using compaq's dvd program. I had to load the cinemaster program to view it, and of course it was worth it....more info - A Classic Waiting To Happen
Ever thought the Government know our every move?SNEAKERS won't try to change your mind. This is a fantastic cast (Redford, Poitier, Aykroyd, Phoenix) with an equally witty, sharp and tense script. The story revolves around this team of conspiracy theorists on a retrieval mission of the ultimate password decoder: lethal in anybody's hands. There are some very suspensful moments here, some great comedy (particularly Aykroyd's character who thinks everything is a Government cover-up or conspiracy). Even if technology and hacking doesn't interest you, don't worry. This is a stylish adventure in the best tradition: one worth more than a single viewing....more info - Should have been called Hackers
Indeed, this was the early 90's and I was DEEP in the "hacker scene." Except for the fact that everyone in the movie is a bit too old, it really has the feel of that sense of power you felt when you hacked into a system, or cracked someone's lame software copy protection. But the NAME of this movie is what limited its distribution. I was invited to see this by a colleague of mine and he only told me the name. Hell, I thought it was gonna be some basketball sports film or something. But I went anyway. Was I surprised! The movie was intelligent and really spoke about how important the "electric village" would really become. But here comes this little film our of nowhere and just really NAILS it. Yes, some of the film was improbable, and the techno sequences are really showing their age if you've really followed tech like I have. But all that stuff about a bunch of guys probing a chip looking for ways we could mess with it. That was just how it was! And this was in a movie! Anyway, when I want to plug into my rowdier days, I give this one a spin. ...more info - A fun movie with lots of great stars
Robert Redford has been on the lamb for years and now runs a miscreant crew of nefarious characters who are paid to show companies their weaknesses. Along come some so called Government Agents who give him a choice...Help them or go to jail. The plot unfolds and Redford makes a play at the "man behind the curtain" and the girl. This is a great rainy day movie. It's both funny and has some pretty cool Mission Impossible moments....more info - Classic and a good movie
i liked this movie when it came out. robert redford was funny,witty and charming. very interesting and entertaining for the redford fan....more info - Sneakers - the perfect action comedy!
I first saw Sneakers when I was about 13 years old. I was fascinated beyond belief that hackers could be so powerful and that computers could be so powerful. That was back in 1993 or 94 - and it seams a world away now. One wouldn't think that Sneakers could still have any impact on people after all these years. But watching it again made me so happy. It made me realise that a good story with a great plot is much more powerful than new movies a bit like it (Die hard 4, Mission Impossible). Snearkers is not a movie with fantastic special effects. But it has a fantastic cast, and a wonderful child-like fascination of the new world of computers and the more or less promising digital future.
Buy it, if you like super comedy, a good story, great action - and being in the company of some of Hollywood's finest as Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, River Phoenix and many more...
...more info - Who Do You Trust?
The film begins on a snowy night. Hackers broke into a computer to issue checks to various groups. One leaves to buy food, the others are caught by the police. [Was such hacking possible in 1969?] Later we see a group who are tapping into phone lines. An alarm goes off because of a device in a safety deposit box. This is all part of a burglary that tests security for a bank: its perfectly legal. Two businessmen arrive at Martin Bishop's company to hire him for a special job. They'll do it for the money. They start to surveil the subject, a professor who may have a formula to create unbreakable codes. Others are interested in that professor's work. "Social engineering" is used to gain admittance to the target corporation. [The slow response to questions tells of the prompting.] Does Bishop talk too much at that party? "Too many secrets?"
Can one device the size of a cassette telephone answering machine allow unauthorized access to secured sites? [Only in a Hollywood film.] Does possession of this device put them in grave danger? "Who were those guys?" Now the mystery begins. Should Martin disappear again? Could a private business have great need for that device? Can official records be changed to create evidence? Who can you trust? The team plans to break into the corporation to retrieve that device. Is it an impossible mission? The film makes it seem plausible. Will there be any problems to hype the drama? Will the good guys win against the odds? The usual formula says they will, with plenty of action at the finish. Does the deus ex machina ending detract from the story?
Does the idea of organized crime owning an electronics company seem far out? Do legitimate companies build trapdoors into their software to allow clandestine access to their customer's data? What do you think?...more info - One of Redfords better jobs
A great film that captures the start of the dot com period of history. With a twist to the story that pays homage to some of the urban legends that are running around. Altogether a good story with a cast that knows what they are doing and are enjoying themselves while doing it....more info - THIS ISN'T ABOUT A RUNNING MAN!!! OR IS IT?
SNEAKERS is such a polite film, with its concentration on its cast and its seemingly hopeless obstacle overshadowing hot action scenes or torrid love scenes. Written and directed by FIELD OF DREAMS Phil Alden Robinson, this movie charms with its array of colorful characters and the cast's obvious understanding of what they were intended to do. A then middle-aged Robert Redford, still maintaining that boyish handsomeness, has a field day as Martin Bishop, a man who has been on the run since avoiding capture in an earlier computer hacking scam. His crew of "sneakers" includes Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, River Phoenix and the marvelous David Strathairn. Mary McDonnell from DANCES WITH WOLVES is also along for the ride, and she is a joyful addition to the cast. Ben Kingsley shows up as the real villain, and we even get THIRTY SOMETHINGS Timothy Busfield as one of the villains. The ubiquitous James Earl Jones shows up for the climax which is hilarious as each team member tells him what they want from him before they give him the valued box. SNEAKERS is smart, witty and suspenseful, and is a wonderful little film that should have gotten more notice when released. Maybe DVD fans will latch on to this one and make it more appreciated....more info - "Cattle mutilations are up."
That first time I used my credit card to buy something online, I did so with quite a bit of trepidation, as I had concerns about how easily some hacker type could steal my card number and rack up my debt...since then I've realized many sites do utilize some sort of protection against that kind of thing, but still, the thought of vulnerabilities lingers in my mind...and movies like Sneakers (1992) certainly don't help to quell those concerns...written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams), the film stars Robert Redford (Three Days of the Condor) and Sidney Poitier (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). Also appearing is David Strathairn (Dolores Claiborne), Dan Aykroyd (Grosse Pointe Blank), the late River Phoenix (My Own Private Idaho), Mary McDonnell (Independence Day), and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi).
In the film, Martin Bishop (Redford) and his colleagues operate a security company who other businesses hire to break into their companies, exposing where their security may be lacking. Each member of the small team has their own, unique background (many involving past criminal activities), but after the group is approached (blackmailed) by a gooberment agency with a proposition to recover a mysterious device (it involves the use of computers and cryptography), it's discovered that Bishop has the most to lose if they don't accept the job. The group manages the acquisition easy enough, but soon find themselves in a heap of trouble as the device turns out to be something of extreme value, a device many would kill to possess. As the web of conspiracy and deceit grows, as does the level of danger (various individuals wind up getting killed), the group must use all their abilities to outwit those intent on stealing the device for themselves, using it for their own, nefarious purposes, and seeing Martin and his co-workers in jail, or even dead.
Sneakers is a deceptive film. I've seen it a few times, the first time I saw it, it appeared to be a light movie (I've read that the makers of the film injected a modest amount of profanity into the script to avoid a `G' rating, for fears the movie would have been perceived as a film for children) with a few, gaping plot holes, but subsequent viewings (for me, at least), reveal it to be a very rich, complex, intelligent, enjoyable thriller with an excellent cast and a tight storyline with little or no mistakes, and the plot holes I originally perceived actually dealt with, many times in very subtle ways, hence the need for repeat viewings (it's important to pay attention to many of the little details provided throughout). Redford and Poitier are the strongest cast members in the film, but they don't necessarily come off that way, as they seem to understand the importance of their parts within the whole of the film, instilling a subtleness within their performances, allowing for the focus to be on the story rather on themselves. This seems to be an obvious sign of their experience, and I found myself appreciating this, as often starring actors tend to be full of themselves, and their efforts on screen show it...originally it seemed to me that the character development was a bit light, but I've since come to feel we're given just exactly what's needed for the story, and anymore would have bordered on the extraneous and unnecessary. Also, it's nice to see a film where Dan Aykroyd plays a relatively minor part, doing what he's told, having nothing to do with the writing or directing (he not only wrote but directed the one of the worst films I've ever seen in 1991's Nothing But Trouble). Also, I usually tend to like women with the longer hair, but I thought Mary McDonnell, with her short hair and all, looked very attractive and added a wonderful, feminine element to this nearly all male cast with her role as Liz, a former lover of Bishop, now assisting the group seemingly out of appreciation of Bishop's past. Director Robinson keeps the pacing tight, and uses the talent within the film well (I supposed this is helped by the fact he also wrote the screenplay, so he has an intimate understanding of the visuals he wants to present in accordance with the story). The McGuffin (a term invented by Alfred Hitchcock to describe the element of the film the plot centers on...he would often present, but rarely elaborate on it, as its' specifics were never important, in his mind, only its' use in providing focus for the story and progressing the plot) seems a bit farfetched, but the smart story and the talented performances do well in creating a level of believability that got through this aspect. Another important feature of the film is the musical score, provided by legendary and prolific composer James Horner (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Aliens). Usually I neglect mentioning the music within a film unless it's either really bad or really good (the latter being the case here). I wonder how many people are aware that he started out composing for low budget producer Roger Corman, working on films like Battle Beyond the Stars and Humanoids From the Deep, both released 1980. A couple of minor appearances worth looking for are Donal Logue (Blade, The Tao of Steve), James Earl Jones (Clear and Present Danger), and Timothy Busfield (Revenge of the Nerds). Favorite line from the film? When Bishop is talking to the NSA guys and responds, "I could have been in the NSA, but they found out my parents were married."
The widescreen anamorphic picture (1.85:1) looks reasonably fair, and the Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 tracks (available in English, French, and Spanish) sound decent. Special features include an original theatrical trailer for the film, subtitles, informative production notes, background and filmographies of some of the cast and crew, a `making of' featurette, and commentary track by the director. All in all a decent release of a really good film.
Cookieman108
...more info - "Sneaking" Around
Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier head a fine cast in SNEAKERS, a solid 1992 thriller with a robust sense of humor directed and co-written with good skill by Phil Alden Robinson (FIELD OF DREAMS). In it, Redford, who has been on the run since 1969 for computer hacking in that politically turbulent time, heads up a team of security experts known as "sneakers", whose job it is to penetrate the security set-ups of their respective clients to give them tips whenever those companies' security systems are lacking. Then two guys (Timothy Busfield; Eddie Jones) claiming to be from the National Security Agency give Redford the biggest task of all: to recover a "little black box" from a Czech scientist visiting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
But when they find out what this little black box does, they realize that they could be marked for death. For this box is actually a machine that can break any security codes to every single system on the planet. And when Busfield and Jones turn out NOT to be NSA representatives and renege on the arrangement they made with him, Redford is forced to confront an old friend (Ben Kingsley) from his past who is now out to take revenge.
Structured with elements of techno-thrillers, spy thrillers, and fears of Big Brother, and combined with goodly amounts of humor, SNEAKERS moves quite briskly through its 125-minute running time. Suspenseful moments, including Redford having to move ultra-slowly through a highly secured area to recover the box in Kingsley's complex, are juxtaposed with moments of political humor, including Dan Aykroyd's conspiracy-obsessed technician, and in the film's introductory scene, in which the younger versions of Redford and Kingsley think of transfering the money in Richard Nixon's personal checking account to the National Association to Legalize Marijuana. As rightly mentioned in Amazon's review of the film, that little black box that can break every code functions as what Hitchcock calls a "McGuffin", a plot device that may not mean much to us until we realize why people want it so badly they'd kill for it. This, combined with fears of the government functioning as "Big Brother", make SNEAKERS every bit as relevant today as when it was released in 1992, perhaps even more so....more info - Enjoyable thriller
This film is surprisingly good in what it attempts to portray - the vulnerability of our systems to unauthorised access and the potential for data misuse. Essentially the film is about cryptography and does not really focus on hacking in any direct way thus making it just as relevant today as it was back in 1992. The cast headed by Robert Redford give an outstanding performance, especially David Strathairn as a blind hacker with impressive hands-on skills. Very enjoyable and well paced....more info
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