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There isn't much to Sneakers plot and that's more than made up for with the film's breezy panache and hi-tech lingo. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

Computer hacker Martin (Robert Redford) heads a group of specialists who test the security of various San Francisco companies. Martin is approached by two National Security Agency officers who ask him to steal a newly invented decoder. Martin and his team discover that the black box can crack any encryption code, posing a huge threat if it lands in the wrong hands. When Martin realizes the NSA men who approached him are rogue agents, they frame him for the murder of the device's inventor.

Cast & Crew

Robert Redford
Martin Bishop, Martin Brice
Dan Aykroyd
Mother
Ben Kingsley
Cosmo
Mary McDonnell
Liz
River Phoenix
Carl Arbegast
Sidney Poitier
Donald Crease
David Strathairn
Erwin 'Whistler' Emory
Timothy Busfield
Dick Gordon
George Hearn
Gregor
Eddie Jones
Buddy Wallace
Phil Alden Robinson
Director
Phil Alden Robinson
Writer
Lawrence Lasker
Writer
Walter F. Parkes
Writer
Lindsley Parsons Jr.
Executive Producer
James Horner
Original Music
John Lindley
Cinematographer
Tom Rolf
Film Editor
Juel Bestrop
Casting
Risa Bramon Garcia
Casting
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News & Interviews for Sneakers

Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances
Just Add Aretha: 11 Movie Moments Made Awesome By Aretha Franklin’s Music
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Critic Reviews for Sneakers

All Critics (53) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (11)

View All Critic Reviews (53)

Audience Reviews for Sneakers

  • Oct 22, 2013
    It is extraordinarily corny, and the screenwriting is quite mediocre, yet the film does engage with an interesting, complex plot and thrilling sequences.
    Matthew Samuel M Super Reviewer
  • Oct 23, 2012
    Superb spy action comedy with director Robinson getting all parts clicking like a key turning tumblers in a lock. Robert Redford in top form as reformed hacker leading a top flight cast including Sidney Poitier and Ben Kingsley. Great moments of unraveling mysteries and filled with quality gags that don't undermine the suspense. Most action comedies tilt too heavily one way or the other but <i>Sneakers</i> finds the perfect balance from start to finish.
    Doctor S Super Reviewer
  • Jul 19, 2011
    A team of hackers must steal a mysterious black box. At the time, before the Internet became as ubiquitous as it is, this must have seemed cutting edge and revolutionary. Today, it doesn't play as well and must rely on the strength of its cast, which, on first glance, promises to be quite good. But midway through the film, I got the feeling that these were just actors having fun being actors. What results is a fairly basic thriller/comedy, and while it's entertaining, in the words of one critic, "There's precious little that will stay with you." Overall, <i>Sneakers</i> is a decent way to waste two hours, but don't go looking for anything more than light-hearted entertainment.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
  • Apr 20, 2011
    What a cast - Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, River Phoenix, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell and Ben Kingsley!! This tale of intrigue and high-tech suspense is fun to watch as a team of Hackers are hired to hack into systems to see how tight their security is and if they are as safe as they think. It really gets exciting as they go after this "black box" that can decrypt computer codes whereby they can have access to the FBI, CIA, airports, etc but when the past of one of the hackers catches up with them this puts all of their lives in danger. Dan Akroyd did a great job playing the role as "Mother" who believes every conspiracy theory ever devised and Redford as the guy who gets all the dangerous tasks or as Poitier puts it "all the fun stuff." Ben Kingsley plays the maniacal Cosmo with his two cold-blooded operatives, Timothy Busfield and Eddie Jones.
    Deb S Super Reviewer
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