Themes: Heroic Mission, Political Corruption, Fighting the System
Main Cast: Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Ben Kingsley, Dan Aykroyd, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, David Strathairn
Release Year: 1992
Country: US
Run Time: 125 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
In this tech-thriller from director Phil Alden Robinson, a group of five renegade computer hackers, led by Martin Bishop (Robert Redford), are hired by the government to steal a black box, containing a code-breaking machine, from the mathematician who invented the device. The government is able to persuade Martin to take the job by convincing him that they will drop a decades-old federal warrant for his involvement in computer fraud. Martin agrees and he takes his team on the mission, eventually taking the box. Shortly after the hackers have stolen the device, the mathematician turns up dead. Before long, the quintet realize that they've gotten themselves into more than they'd originally bargained for, as Bishop's old rival Cosmo (Ben Kingsley) enters into the fold. The eclectic ensemble also includes River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell, and James Earl Jones. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Review
Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Ackroyd, and Ben Kingsley headline a star-studded cast for this clever, suspenseful thriller that plays upon the dawn of the information age. Redford, taut and intelligent, delivers one of his more definitive modern-day performances. Set in the San Francisco Bay Area, in the shadow of Silicon Valley, the film explores the infinite possibilities of computer advancements -- both positive and negative -- in a very sleek manner. With a careful hand, Phil Alden Robinson achieves a commensurate level of tightly wound thrills in direct proportion to the sharply detailed script. The one drawback is the rather uneven pace: at times lightning quick, sacrificing clarity, at other points slow and lackadaisical. River Phoenix and James Earl Jones lend support to the already capable and eclectic cast. The appropriately technocratic tone of the film rivals or surpasses later attempts at the same subject matter (The Net, Hackers). ~ Mike DiBella, All Movie Guide
Timothy Busfield - Dick Gordon; George Hearn - Gregor; Eddie Jones - Buddy Wallace; Donal Logue - Dr. Gunter Janek; Lee Garlington - Dr. Elena Rhyzkov; Stephen Tobolowsky - Dr. Werner Brandes; James Earl Jones - Mr. Bernard Abbott; Jo Jo Marr - College-Aged Cosmo; Gary Hershberger - College-Aged Martin Bishop; Jun Asai - Piano Prodigy; Amy Benedict - Female NSA Agent; Michael Boston - Playtronics Perimeter Guard; Jacqueline Brand - Kiev String Quartet Member; Roger Callard - NSA agent (uncredited); George Cheung - Chinese Restaurant Singer; James Craven - FBI Agent; Denise Dowse - Bank Teller; Bodhi Elfman - Centurion S&L Night Guard; Ellaraino - Mrs. Crease; R.C. Everbeck - 2nd FBI Agent; Al Foster - Playtronics Desk Guard-Night; Julie Gigante - Kiev String Quartet Member; Lori Hall - NSA Phone Operator; Hanyee - Bank Secretary; Leslie Hardy - Gregor's Date; George Hartmann - Playtronics Stairwell Guard; Dayna Hollinquist - Melissa Crease; Paul Jenkins - Playtronics Lobby Guard-Night; Jeff Joy - Male NSA Agent; Michael Milhoan - Russian Driver; Victoria Miskolczy - Kiev String Quartet Member; Ralph Monaco - Playtronics Lobby Guard-Day; Rudy Francis Nementz - Playtronics Desk Guard-Day; Jeff Phillips - Playtronics Perimeter Guard; John Shepard - Collidge Institute Guard; Hayward Soo-Hoo - Chinese Restaurant Waiter; David Speltz - Kiev String Quartet Member; Ernie Tetrault - TV Anchorman; Anthony Winters - Male NSA Agent; Tim Winters - Homeless Man; John Moio - Gregor's Chauffeur; Juel Bestrop; Risa Bramon Garcia; Michael Kinney - Playtronics Desk Guard-Day
Credit
Dianne I. Wager - Art Director, William M. Elvin - Associate Producer, Juel Bestrop - Casting, Risa Bramon Garcia - Casting, Bernie Pollack - Costume Designer, Phil Alden Robinson - Director, Tom Rolf - Editor, James Horner - Composer (Music Score), Branford Marsalis - Composer (Music Score), Patrizia Von Brandenstein - Production Designer, John Lindley - Cinematographer, Lawrence Lasker - Producer, Walter Parkes - Producer, Lindsley Parsons, Jr. - Producer, Keith Brian Burns - Set Designer, James Murakami - Set Designer, Samara Schaffer - Set Designer, James Tocci - Set Designer, Lawrence Lasker - Screenwriter, Walter Parkes - Screenwriter, Phil Alden Robinson - Screenwriter
