Sneakers (Collector's Edition)

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?

This movie is one of my favorites. In fact, my daughter borrowed it, lent it to someone else and it was never returned, so this is my second copy! i don't think a movie with a cast like this can miss - Sidney Poitier, Robert Redford, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell (amazing scene where she tricks some guy into saying all the words necessary to gain access to his office) , Dan Ackroyd (in a brilliantly understated role!), the late River Phoenix and David Strathairn (wait till he drives!)! Even though the computer technology is ancient by today's standards, it is still a fast moving adventure. Plus it's fun to tell the kids - yeah, that's what a computer used to look like...

Both my 12-year-old son and I enjoyed this movie. Great actors/actresses who looked like they were having fun filming it. The movie looks a bit dated vis a vis technology, but it's still fun.

If you're looking for enjoyable entertainment with a bit of suspense, I would recommend Sneakers! :-)

Tim Warneka

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you get to the end and they make it into a kind of joke. This is unfortunate: you get a very scary plot, of this chip that is so valuable in what it can do that holders of it are automatically offed, but then they decide to, well, you have to see it to lose your faith in the film's plausible impossibility. (OK, I don't want to be the spolier, but criticism is due).

Before that silly ending, the suspence is wonderful and believable. Redford is totally convncing, as is his old friend (Kingsley), who went to prison insead of him by chance. They have this wonderful duality that you find n fiction, good and bad from experience and luck of the draw, and are now deadly enemies. You get these wonderfully unorthodox solutions, such as the blind man helping Redford to find where he had been taken by the sound he remembers while blindfolded in a car trunk. There are many touches like that, splendid details. Then there is the caper, which is complex and frightening, with bad guys you could believe you would want to avoid. It is great - 5 stars - right up until the ridicoulous finale, which ruins the whole thng.

Recommended, but skip the last 2 minutes.

Just Awsome! Love Robert Redford. Don't want to miss any of his movies. He is a legend.