Is great old fashioned entertainment that is easy to watch and follow, handsome in production, filled with likable characters, and deep enough for substantive reflection, without ever becoming pretentious or a chore. Martin Bishop, played by Robert Redford exuding his natural charisma, is the head of an independent "Sneakers" team who are hired to do things like break into banks to discover their weaknesses. The "Sneakers" team is composed of one of the most likable crews ever assembled in film: Sidney Poitier's grizzled ex-CIA man, Dan Akroyd's conspiracy theory spinning tech man, David Strathairn's blind phone hacker, and young River Phoenix's hacker Carl. Throw in Mary McDonnell was a romantic interest (she always brings a certain strength and intelligence to her side unfortunately sidelines characters) and a committed idealogue villain played by Ben Kingsley and you have one of the most enjoyable casts assembled in a film like this. In fact, the feeling you get from the cast here is the feeling you get from a great sitcom, that you could just sit around for hours and enjoy hanging out with these guys in real life. This cast is put to good use in a spy story that never lags and unfolds with one great scene after another. Redford's low on cash "Sneakers" team is hired by the NSA to steal a mysterious black box from a cryptography professor and when they discover the box is a machine that can decrypt any computer system they realize ANY government would kill for it. Soon they discover they weren't hired by the NSA at all, bodies start piling up, old friends come out of the wood work, and a daring heist is needed to secure they safety. Director and co-writer Phil Alden Robinson is a master conductor here, keeping the story unfolding, layering in some interesting themes, and stuffing it filled with spy gadgets, lingo, and tradecraft sequences. I love that they essentially used contemporary gadgets (Hollywoodized of course) and not some kind of fantasy gadgets because the whole thing gives a beautiful glimpse into the state of the most advanced and sought after tech of the day. When people say, "they don't make films like that anymore" I think of films like this one - an unpretentious film that employs the highest craft in every category (directing, performances, score, editing, etc) in the employment of an entertaining story aimed at adults without being too dumbed down or overloaded with "art" and messages. One of the most re-watchable films of all-time.
Review of Sneakers
