Cast and crew Plot Summary Review Links Image Gallery (coming soon) Add/view comments on this film :: Cast and crew :: (internet movie database profiles open in a new window) Jonny Lee Miller as Dade Murphy (Crash Override) Angelina Jolie as Kate Libby (Acid Burn) Jesse Bradford as Joey [ IMDB ] Matthew Lillard as Emmanuel Goldstein (Cereal Killer) [ IMDB ] Laurence Mason as Paul Cook (Lord Nikon) [ IMDB ] Renoly Santiago as Ramon (Phantom Phreak) [ IMDB ] Fisher Stevens as Eugene Belford (The Plague) [ IMDB ] Alberta Watson as Lauren Murphy [ IMDB ] Lorraine Bracco as Margo [ IMDB ] Wendell Pierce as Agent Gill [ IMDB ] Directed by Iain Softley [ IMDB ] Screenplay by Rafael Moreu Produceers: Janet Graham, Michael Peyser, Selwyn Roberts, Ralph Winter Executive producer: Iain Softley Original music: Simon Boswell Rating (US): PG-13 Running Time: 105 mins Back to top :: Summary :: As a young boy, Dade Murphy (Jonny Lee Miller), better known as the infamous hacker Crash Override, is arrested by the Secret Service for hacking into a government computer, and banned from using a computer again until his 18th birthday. Of course he ignores this ban, and he and his friends (Jolie, Lillard, etc) accidentally discover a plot to unleash a dangerous computer virus in order to extort billions from international companies. But, as ever, no-one will listen until bodies start showing up. Crash and friends must outhack the bad guys while staying one step ahead of the Secret Service. Back to top :: Review :: There's actually not a lot to commend this film beyond the opportunity to see Miller, Jolie and Lillard so early in their careers. Similar to Robert Redford's Sneakers, but with a younger, hipper cast, this is a formulaic thriller which rarely thrills. Iain Softley had a tremendous start to his career with Backbeat, the story of the "fifth" Beatle, Stuart Sutcliffe, who died before the band found fame, but this was a poor choice for a follow-up. Filmmakers too often get caught out trying to capture a moment in youth culture (essentially such a transient thing that the moment's gone before it reaches the page, never mind during a year-long production schedule) and they fall into the trap here. Much of the script calls for the characters to utter lines that just ring false - like your dad trying to be cool, it just doesn't work. And Fisher Stevens is as bad an actor on film as you would expect from his one-note television appearances (and it still amazes me that Michelle Pfieffer went out with him for so long - obviously he has hidden charms). Still, there's a chance to hear a half-decent American accent from Miller and to watch the chemistry between him and his then soon-to-be wife, Jolie, as their relationship enfolds, rather convincingly considering the rest of the script, on-screen. It's also fair to say that the young cast act well above the level of their material, which at least gives it a small touch of class. And any film featuring Lorraine Bracco can't be all bad. Not vintage Jolie, but well worth a look for the curiousity factor alone. 2 out of 5. Back to top :: Links :: Hackers official site Hackers screensaver Forget Hollywood: Jonny Lee Miller Matthew Lillard Unplugged Back to top |
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