Sneakers
Published July 28, 2023
Film info
- Title Sneakers
- Director Phil Alden Robinson
- Year 1992
- Run time 2hrs 6m
- Genres Comedy, Drama, Crime
- Tagline We could tell you what it's about, but then, of course, we'd have to kill you
Computer expert Martin Bishop heads a team of renegade hackers - including a former CIA employee, a gadgets wizard, a young genius and a blind soundman - who are routinely hired to test security systems. But Bishop's past comes back to haunt him when government agents blackmail the 'sneakers' into carrying out a covert operation: tracking down an elusive black box. Along with his former girlfriend, Bishop's team retrieves the box and makes a stunning discovery - the device can break into any computer system in the world. With factions on all sides willing to kill for the powerful box, Bishop and his team embark on their most dangerous assignment ever in this exhilirating high-tech caper.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 0:58 | Anagrams in the opening credits is a new one. |
| 10:55 | “So people hire you to break into their places to make sure no one can break into their places.” |
| 16:57 | How can they offer that much for the job if it’s kinda illegal? |
| 19:19 | They’re a fab rag-tag bunch, love it. |
| 28:34 | This is a properly old school way of hacking someone’s password! |
| 35:19 | I wouldn’t be able to listen and talk at the same time like that. |
| 37:56 | Canada is a long way to go for pizza. |
| 43:12 | The braille reader is so clever. |
| 46:27 | “So it’s a codebreaker.” “No, it’s THE codebreaker.” |
| 57:54 | Yay, the tunnel! Can’t think the police would stop them in the tunnel itself though. |
| 1:02:20 | “Organised crime?” “Don’t kid yourself, it’s not that organised.” |
| 1:04:37 | This posit-result-conclusion game seems fun. |
| 1:09:54 | Second time I’ve heard the word bupkis today… what even is that. |
| 1:15:46 | This listening sequence is incredible. |
| 1:20:40 | I’ve been convinced by a lot of the tech in this movie, but we all know enhancing video footage is bullshit. |
| 1:22:10 | SHRED EVERYTHING. |
| 1:35:28 | This is going to be the slowest heist ever. |
| 1:41:13 | He’s making a lot of snap judgements about what she might have put in her profile. |
| 1:47:38 | “I’m an excellent marksman… woman.” |
| 1:54:17 | The bad guy isn’t wrong, to be fair. |
| 1:57:49 | “He wants a winnebago.” |
Thoughts
I had never heard of this film but I’ve seen it mentioned a couple of times recently and it caught my attention - mostly because of the epic cast. It was so good! I was in exactly the right mood for a sort of action adventure drama caper thing, and this is the perfect film to fit that bill. The cast is great, they seem to be having a lot of fun and no one is taking themselves or the plot too seriously - they work together well, and despite the calibre of talent on screen, don’t have egos about it.
The story is great, lots of intricate details that pop up, lots of intertwining motives, and at the heart of it a tricky heist. Despite the fact it’s literally a slow-moving heist, the tension is all still there and it comes to a very satisfying conclusion. Great job.
Rating: 5 / 5