Customer Reviews

Sneakers (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I first saw this movie I was expecting something completely different. Being a software developer, I was expecting the standard stereotype of eccentric not-in-touch-with-reality radical leftist computer nerds. What I got instead was a bunch of really fun characters that I thoroughly identified with and who covered the gamut of personality types. The plot was somewhat believable (the core plot device notwithstanding) and the choices the characters made to come out on top were also fairly enjoyable, such as the sightless gentleman driving the van down a steep embankment to save his buddies with only radioed instructions to keep him on track. What few persons have mentioned, however, in these reviews is that the movie also has a winning soundtrack. Its theme is quite catchy and emminently memorable. Pay no attention to the gentleman who says the movie isn't worth anything. This movie was meant to be a cut above the rest and it succeeded. If someone was unable to enjoy it, then I unashamedly chalk it up to his small mind.

I currently own the original Widescreen Edition (1998 Universal). I'll buy the 2003 Collector's Edition, but I'm very disappointed by the paucity of extras: This movie is too good to have this few DVD extras.

One of my favorite movies of all time, for all of the same reasons listed by others here. I own the original DVD, which was released in 16:9 anamorphic, quite ahead of its time.

Unfortunately, it's painful to see a favorite movie come out on DVD with so few Special Features. This was a wasted opportunity, considering the quintessential ensemble cast that made this movie as fun as it is. The movie's 11 years old, and while I'm glad Universal thought enough to re-release it earlier this year with director Phil Alden Robinson doing a commentary track, I think there's much more that could have been done. I can understand the difficulty in tracking down such an incredible ensemble cast after 11 years. But as a consumer, I can say: this movie is too good to have this few DVD extras.

I *will* buy this new version for the following reasons: It's under $15, my existing copy is worn from repeated use, and I have been hoping for extras such as Robinson's commentary. I am, however, disappointed at the waste of potential on Universal's part: The quality of this movie deserves a DVD with a lot more to it.

5 stars for the movie, 2 stars for the extra features.

This film is an example of what an ensemble cast of A-list actors can do when they have fun with a project. While their acting has been better in other films, their camaraderie carries the film. Clocking in at over 2 hours, the film becomes muddled in parts, but your interest in the characters keeps you from becoming overly impatient with it. Equal parts "Charade" and "WarGames" the movie keeps you guessing at who's who and what the character's true motivations are, while the technology doesn't get out of hand (most solutions are low- not high-tech).

For a Collector's Edition, the supplementary material on the DVD is disappointing. The high point is the commentary: the detailed reminiscences of the director and writers are informative and enjoyable. The "Making of" documentary is pleasant, but doesn't build much on the commentary; the comments of the cast don't expand beyond telling who the characters are (only Ackroyd describes anything he brought to his character beyond the writers' amalgam of 70s and 80s phone phreaks and social engineers). The single theatrical preview is nice, but with along with the bonus materials in general, you feel there should have been more. The only other item on the Bonus Materials section is a "Recommendation" for "other films you might enjoy": Field of Dreams (same director/writer), Spy Game (also with Redford), and The Sting (Redford again, with James Earl Jones' father); there aren't previews of these films, just three small DVD cases sharing the screen. No deleted scenes (although several are described in the commentary). No outtakes (you know there had to be some serious hijinks on the set). No scripts or scene comparisons to show the film's decade-long evolution. Not even an Easter egg to reward devoted hackers.

Buy this disc for the movie, not the bonus materials. It's a lot of fun and the cast is a "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" player's dream.

This movie is a really fun ride! It has a great story with great characters and an all star cast. I have seen it many, many times and can't wait to get the DVD I ordered today!

This movie opened in mainstream theaters on a Friday morning in Houston, a major metropolitan area. By the following Friday, it had been removed from regular cinemas and was playing in the dollar theaters. I took several young teens to see it, and none of us could follow its confusing so-called plot -- it was somewhat indecipherable. Don't bother with this one.

Sneakers, released 1992, was among the first films to center on the world of computer hackers. But unlike the lesser movies in the category, such as The Net, Sneakers has a better plot, and it is more of an ensemble piece. This allows for us to really get into the story a bit more. Another thing that makes the film work is its subtle use of humor.

Computer genius Nathan Bishop, (Robert Redford) and a group of fellow rag-tag renegade hackers, are normally hired to test the vulnerability of computer networks, for different industries...then their job is done. Not this time. Something out of Bishop's checkered past comes back to haunt him. He and the rest of the "sneakers"-Donald (Sydney Poitier), "Whistler" (David Stratharin), "Mother" (Dan Aykroyd), and young Carl (River Phoenix)-are blackmailed by agents, working for the government, into getting a secret black box. Once the the team recovers the item, they soon discover its contents can be used to break into any computer system in the world. Everyone around them, would kill to get a hold of the box, Bishop and his team must think fast, in order to save themselves and the technology.

I am not a real big fan of Robert Redford, as an actor, per se`But I must count this film, as one of his best, in a varied career. The rest of the cast. that also includes Ben Kingsley and Mary McDonnell, is top notch. The chemistry between the players, humor, and excitement of the film, its all there. Directed and co-written by Philip Alden Robison, he takes full advantage of the cast. It was fun to see Redford and Poitier loosen up a bit here and just go with the flow of the story. Whenever I see River Phoenix in a film, I am always struck at just how talented, he really was. Sneakers is an enjoyable film with a lot to like.

For true fans of the movie, the "Collector's Edition" DVD, has a solid audio commentary from Robinson, I just wish that some cast members could have joined in as well. The "making of " featurette, is fairly standard stuff. The theatrical trailer rounds out the bonus materials Sadly though, I was hoping for a deleted scenes section...Still a must if you like the film as much as I do.

This film is treat with the actor mix and the unique characters they play. I take one star away, for if it was better written, we would not have been cheated out of several Sneakers sequels. The film has enough action for adults, yet cute and fun enough for kids to watch along with you. I raced to the theater when it was released, and I am now racing to own the DVD. Sit back and enjoy a film that has action/drama/humor/suspense, and a well put together cast.

This movie is really entertaining, keeps you on edge and is fun to watch. I've seen it atleast 20 times, and love it the same as I had the first time. In a world where are a lot of movies arent worth the time and money, Sneakers is guaranteed NOT to be one of those.

Robert Redford leads an all-star cast of hackers in a story that's parts thrilling and parts funny, but never as thrilling or funny as it thinks. Redford is Martin Bishop, or does he? Bishop runs a peculiar security consulting firm staffed with odd-balls that "breaks into peoples' places so other people can't break into those places" - methodically burglarizing banks and other "secure" buildings to reveal to their weak points to their owners. Bishopï¿s partners in crime-prevention include David Strathairn as a blind computer hacker, River Phoenix as a reformed thief who can sneak into any building, Dan Akroyd as an electronics whiz and jovially rabid conspiracy theorist and Sydney Poitier as the team's straight-man, a former CIA case-worker who used to butt heads with superiors probably less uptight than he.

Though expecting trust from others, Bishop hasn't been that honest himself ï¿ none of his fellow hackers know that Martin Bishop is really Martin Brice who went underground in the late 1960's after he narrowly escaped arrest. In the flick's opening scene, set in those olden days, we meet young Brice and his friend Cosmo (David Paymer) as they're using their school's primitive computer to hack into the bank accounts of right-wing organizations and transfer their funds to liberal groups like the NAACP, People for the American Way and some groups committed to legalizing marihuana. Narrowly evading a dragnet that nets Cosmo, Brice goes on the run...and never looks back. Bishop's secret is actually no secret to either the Russians (who have spent years vainly trying to recruit him) or, it seems, the Americans. When two men claiming to work for the NSA show up at Bishop's office, they offer him a can't-refuse deal - they'll clear his record if he can burglarize the office of a theoretical mathematician and steal a mysterious black box he's working on. The NSA doesn't want to send Brice away, but they are law enforcement, and have responsibilities of their own. (The NSA canï¿t legally get the box because national security laws bar NSA surveillance operations on US soil, and they canï¿t work with the FBI without congressional authorization). Working with the team, Bishop finds and nabs the box and thinks he's home free - only to learn that neither the box nor those who are interested in it are what they seem. Instead, (and to keep from spoiling anything for anybody still up for this flick) Bishop finds himself trapped in a conspiracy, one that links the box - which proves to house a super-computing chip capable of breaking any code and accessing any computer - to Martin Brice's lost past.

"Sneakers" has a fun plot, but it gets weighted down by a script that tries to be funnier, more thrilling and meaningful than it is. The jokes become juvenile at some points (like when the team coaches Redford during one of his break-ins) and the members of the team become one note sitcom style characters (Ackroyd bounces his cheerful conspiracy theories on Poitier's uptight skepticism; Strathairn repeatedly proves himself to have more sight than anybody he works with; and Phoenix picks his teammates pockets to purchase the stuff they all need for the job). Thinly veiled beneath, "Sneakers" has an important message about the information age - that the world is run by the ones and zeros of computer language, and that the power of information can be monopolized no less than any more tangible power. Even if this werenï¿t a similar ï¿ if softer - take on ï¿Three Days of the Condorï¿, the message gets lost in numerous plot holes, not the least of which involves the bad guys themselves who appear and disappear throughout the movie. This would be the kind of flick you could enjoy without taking seriously if it didn't compulsive beg you to take it seriously - sort of like "The Brinks Job" for the information age. The flick ends on what's meant to be joke - after supposedly turning over the black box to the government, a newscast reveals that certain right-wing organizations are suddenly going bankrupt, while liberals are inexplicably flush with cash. Weï¿re supposed to be cheered that absolute power need not corrupt absolutely when itï¿s put to use buying campaign ads for Al Gore or to legalize hemp. But what fun is there in a punchline that confirms what right-wingers have been saying for years - that leftists have no compunction against lying, stealing and breaking the law when it suits their agenda. Rent "The Sting" instead.

This review refers to the Widescreen Edition(1998 Universal).....

Martin Bishop's(Robert Redford) team of maverick techies make their living(not a great one)as "Sneakers". Breaking into the security systems of high powered companies. It is the high powered companies that actually sign their pay checks. They are hired to find the breakdowns in the systems.The team includes a blindman who is expert in sound(David Strathairn), and ex-CIA agent(Sydney Poitier), a young expert hacker(River Phoenix), and a magician at all sorts of gadgets who is probably the most paranoid person on the face of the earth(Dan Aykroyd).What a Cast!

Martin Bishop though, has a secret he's been keeping from his team. One that has kept him on the run from the government for 25 years. When the government agents offer him a chance to clean up his record, simply by finding and retrieving a "Black Box" used by a mathematical genius for decoding, Martin jumps at the chance and so do the rest of the guys(It also pays really good too!). The job seems easy enough, but what they don't know may kill them. This "box" is so powerful in it's capabilities, that any any Government in the world would kill for it.

The team, also with the help of Bishop's ex(Mary McDonnell) goes into a high-tech action caper,that is heartstopping,gripping, and often comical.It'll thrill and amaze you as they use their weapons of knowledge to complete their mission.

The film is directed by Phil Alden Robinson, and also stars Ben Kingsley, Timothy Busfield, and James Earl Jones.You can't go wrong with all these great names. All the performances are terrific.

I was not totally happy with this edition of the DVD though. Although the sound in Dolby Surround was quite good and the anamorphic widescreen(1.85:1)was well presented there seemed to be a reddish glow hovering on all the indoor scenes(almost like a new TV the needs the tint adjusted). It was a little hard on the eyes. Otherwise I probably would've gone 5 stars as this is one of the cleverist capers I have seen. Don't look for too much on the extras. There are a few, some production notes(no live commentary) filmographies, and a trailer. It is also captioned and has subtitles in English, Spanish and French.Maybe the newer edition has the color problem cleaned up. It would be worth renting it at least...