Sneakers (1992)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Phil Alden Robinson

Writers (WGA):

Phil Alden Robinson (written by) and
Lawrence Lasker (written by) ...

Release Date:

9 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

We could tell you what it's about. But then, of course, we'd have to kill you.

Plot:

Complex but lighthearted thriller about computers and cryptography, government and espionage, secrets and deception and betrayal.

Plot Keywords:

Computer | Cryptography | Encryption | License Plate | Blindness

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jo Marr	...	College-Aged Cosmo (as Jojo Marr)
Robert Redford	...	Bishop
Gary Hershberger	...	College-Aged Bishop
Sidney Poitier	...	Donald Crease
David Strathairn	...	Erwin 'Whistler' Emory
Dan Aykroyd	...	Mother
River Phoenix	...	Carl
Bodhi Elfman	...	Centurion S&L Night Guard
Denise Dowse	...	Bank Teller
Hanyee	...	Bank Secretary
Timothy Busfield	...	Dick Gordon
Eddie Jones	...	Buddy Wallace
Time Winters	...	Homeless Man
Mary McDonnell	...	Liz
Jun Asai	...	Piano Prodigy

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief sexual references.

Runtime:

126 min | Canada:118 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:12 (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Netherlands:12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #31961) | South Korea:15 | Peru:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Spain:7 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

2nd Street Tunnel, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Mother wears a T-shirt bearing the name "Aleka's Attic", a band formed by co-star River Phoenix.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Bishop goes to the trouble of defeating the voice entry system, which leads him to being caught. While Carl catches up with him via the access vents, getting into them needed a decoy gardener, and sending two people into the bathroom would have attracted attention.

Quotes:

[each member of the team makes a request in return for the decryption chip]
Whistler: I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
Bernard Abbott: Oh, this is ridiculous.
Martin Bishop: He's serious.
Whistler: I want peace on earth and goodwill toward men.
Bernard Abbott: We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Martin Bishop: You're just gonna have to try.
Bernard Abbott: All right, I'll see what I can do.
Whistler: Thank you very much. That's all I ask.

Movie Connections:

References Blindfold (1965)

Soundtrack:

Corcovado

Guilty Pleasure

There are a bunch of movies which might not be GREAT, but really good, and you can watch them over and over again. Rainy day movies. "Sneakers" is without a doubt such a movie.

It is a lightweight caper which gets into a higher division thanks to the acting: Redford is always good, as is Strathairn, Kingsley and McDonnell. The other actors do a really good job as well, but these four stand out in my opinion.

There are twists and turns in the script, Great San Francisco locations and lots of underplayed humor in this film, all contributing to that the movie can be seen several times.

Take it for what it is, and you'll have a really good time in front of the TV.