Hackers (1995)

Director:

Iain Softley

Writer (WGA):

Rafael Moreu (written by)

Release Date:

15 September 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

their only crime was curiosity

Plot:

A young boy is arrested by the US Secret Service for writing a computer virus and is banned from using a computer until his 18th birthday...

Plot Keywords:

Computer Hacker | Hacker | 555 Phone Number | Internet | Computer Virus

Cast

Jonny Lee Miller	...	Dade Murphy / 'Crash Override' / 'Zero Cool'
Angelina Jolie	...	Kate Libby / 'Acid Burn'
Jesse Bradford	...	Joey Pardella
Matthew Lillard	...	Emmanuel Goldstein / 'Cereal Killer'
Laurence Mason	...	Paul Cook / 'Lord Nikon'
Renoly Santiago	...	Ramon Sanchez / 'Phantom Phreak'
Fisher Stevens	...	Eugene Belford / 'The Plague' / Mr. Babbage
Alberta Watson	...	Lauren Murphy
Darren Lee	...	Razor
Peter Y. Kim	...	Blade
Ethan Browne	...	Curtis
Lorraine Bracco	...	Margo
Wendell Pierce	...	S.S. Agent Richard Gill
Michael Gaston	...	S.S. Agent Bob
Marc Anthony	...	S.S. Agent Ray

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and brief strong language.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Japanese | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo | DTS

Certification:

Italy:T | Iceland:L | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Germany:12 | Ireland:15 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #33561)

Filming Locations:

Battery Park City, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

Edward Norton auditioned for a role.

Goofs:

Factual errors: On the Gibson's list of directories, 'Shipping Forecasts' is misspelled as 'Forcasts'.

Quotes:

Kate Libby: I hope you don't screw like you type.

Movie Connections:

Features "The Outer Limits" (1963)

Soundtrack:

Communicate (Headquake Hazy Cloud Mix)

Compelling, but could have done without the overblown special effects

_Hackers_ is certainly a compelling film in the sense that it held my attention until the end. Its portrayal of the computer subculture though seems colored as much by stereotypes as by reality; while it may be convincing to somebody with little knowledge of computers (or to kids who think they're "eLiTe"), those who are more knowledgeable will catch the technical flaws right away. Essentially the film fakes its way through the whole movie at trying to accurately present cyberculture. The worst part of the film though was the special effects. I'm guessing that the director was trying to give the film a feel of "virtual reality" here but what it ultimately looks like is a bad acid trip film from the 60's. The melting faces and distortions between people and computers were annoying and could really have been left out. Now for the good news: Despite these flaws, as a film itself it does manage to hold your attention, build some suspense, and get you involved in the story as it unfolds. Worth a look.