Sneakers (1992)
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A group of security specialists must navigate a dangerous conspiracy after stealing a powerful code-breaking device.
The story
In the film, Martin and his group of security specialists are hired to steal a black box but soon realize the job has nefarious and far-reaching consequences. After the team successfully steals the device, they discover it is a codebreaker capable of penetrating even the most secure networks. The situation escalates when they realize the government agents who hired them are impostors, and the device is being sought by a criminal syndicate. The team must then navigate a series of dangerous encounters to secure the device and protect their own safety while dealing with the implications of the technology's power.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1969, hackers Martin and Cosmo are separated by a police raid; Cosmo dies in jail while Martin goes into hiding. Decades later in San Francisco, Martin leads a security team including a former CIA operative, a conspiracy theorist, a hacking prodigy, and a blind phone phreaker. They are hired by what they believe are NSA agents to recover a 'black box' from a mathematician. Upon stealing it, they realize it is a powerful codebreaker. They soon discover the 'agents' are impostors working for a criminal syndicate led by Cosmo, who wants to use the device to erase financial records. After a series of tense encounters and a confrontation at a toy company, Martin manages to get the box back. He eventually reveals to the actual NSA that he has removed the device's core component, rendering it useless to them, while the news reports a massive shift in financial holdings for various organizations.
- First release year
- 1992
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Phil Alden Robinson
- Writers
- Phil Alden Robinson · writer; Lawrence Lasker · writer; Walter Parkes · writer
- Cast and characters
- Robert Redford · Martin Bishop / Martin Brice; Dan Aykroyd · Darren "Mother" Roskow; Ben Kingsley · Cosmo; Mary McDonnell · Liz Ogilvy; River Phoenix · Carl Arbogast; Sidney Poitier · Donald Crease; David Strathairn · Irwin "Whistler" Emery
- Genres
- caper comedy; comedy; crime; thriller
- Themes
- technology; security; conspiracy
- Tone and mood
- witty; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- heist; hacking; cryptography
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its humor, tone, and plot. It was a box office success, grossing over $105.2 million worldwide.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 79% · scale: percentage · review count: 57; Metacritic · score: 65 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Production trivia
- The character 'Whistler' was based on real-life figures in the phone phreaks community.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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