Sneakers - Die Lautlosen

Sneakers is, and has been, one of my favorite movies for years. I saw it on Showtime, and I had to buy it on VHS. Soon after the release of DVD, I bought the DVD version and I watch it ALL the time. This movie is awesome in all aspects. I love the cast, and I love the music. I have the soundtrack on CD, and Branford Marsalis on sax adds so much to the movie and its entire mood. As for the story...funny, exciting, thought- provoking. I made a comment about the visuals, I think they were exciting as well. The camera shots and all, hard to explain, but I love it. I especially love the shots at the start of the movie in the snow, that scene as a whole, camera angles, music, lighting---awesome. What I don't get about the movie is this---how come Redford has to ask his off and on "girlfriend" what encryption is? I thought he was a hacker!? There are a few other times in the movie where he and his "crew" ask questions about computer subjects it seems they should know everything about. I never understood that. Well, that's that....I think the movie is a must see.

At a key point in the plot, the device that might be able to get past any computer encrypted password needs to be tested. Carl (River Phoenix) is asked what is the hardest computer to hack into, "give me the number for something impossible to access." He answers, "The Federal Reserve transfer node, Culpeper, Virginia." Mother (Dan Aykroyd) adds, "900 billion a day goes through there."

Between December 10, 1969 and July 1992, this same building in Culpeper housed four computers through which the majority of transactions of the 5,700 US banks were processed. It was also a bomb bunker that stored about four billion dollars cash. These cash reserves and computers could be used to keep business transactions going on throughout the eastern half of the United States in the event that Washington DC was bombed in a nuclear war making cash there radioactive and unusable. Interestingly this build was decommissioned in June of 1992 just months before the film "Sneakers" opened in September of 1992. Since 2007 this building has been home to the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center at the Packard Campus of the Library of Congress where over 6 million items of the nation's audio recordings, television and motion pictures are stored and preserved, including the copyright print of "Sneakers."

Despite its relative obscurity, Sneakers is quickly becoming a cult favorite of the internet generation. It's a perfect blend of romance, tech and adventure that highlights the increasing importance of information. The always beautiful Mary McDonnell as Liz doesn't hurt, either. The soundtrack is arguably the best of James Horner's film scores pre-dating Braveheart, with an ethereal jazzy feel that sets the mood from the opening credits.

For an early nineties movie, Sneakers was remarkably forward thinking in its script and plot. Many of its themes have only become more relevant with the flowering of the data network. All in all a great film for those of you who enjoy flicks like Hudson Hawk or Mission Impossible.

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.

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.