Sneakers
Dir: Phil Alden Robinson
1992
**
Sneakers is yet another film that has been on my watch list since it's release over 20 years ago. Being about computer hacking, it was obviously going to be a little outdated but after watching it, I wonder if it was ever current? There are times when it could have been an Austin Powers film. Ben Kingsley's evil genius, who is an old friend of the leading good guy who was presumed dead, leads an evil corporation that uses a Toy Manufacturing co as a front is the stuff of spoof films and bad cartoons. Throw in the possibilities of Russian involvement, a possible new cold-war and 'Ultimate code-breaker' computer nonsense and it gets a little tiresome. The cast is impressive but no one really impresses. It's cliche after cliche as far as the characters go, fat computer whiz, good at computers and into conspiracy theories, ex-CIA guy, doesn't laugh, owns a gun and worst of all, Blind guy who is so blind, he can even hear things that make no noise. River Phoenix is purely there because he was popular at that time, he barely has any lines let alone anything to actually do in the film. It's of low quality, surely some people would have seen that at the time? I don't understand the love people have for it.