Robert RedfordSneakers

That first time I used my credit card to buy something online, I did so with quite a bit of trepidation, as I had concerns about how easily some hacker type could steal my card number and rack up my debt...since then I've realized many sites do utilize some sort of protection against that kind of thing, but still, the thought of vulnerabilities lingers in my mind...and movies like Sneakers (1992) certainly don't help to quell those concerns...written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams), the film stars Robert Redford (Three Days of the Condor) and Sidney Poitier (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). Also appearing is David Strathairn (Dolores Claiborne), Dan Aykroyd (Grosse Pointe Blank), the late River Phoenix (My Own Private Idaho), Mary McDonnell (Independence Day), and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi).In the film, Martin Bishop (Redford) and his colleagues operate a security company who other businesses hire to break into their companies, exposing where their security may be lacking. Each member of the small team has their own, unique background (many involving past criminal activities), but after the group is approached (blackmailed) by a gooberment agency with a proposition to recover a mysterious device (it involves the use of computers and cryptography), it's discovered that Bishop has the most to lose if they don't accept the job. The group manages the acquisition easy enough, but soon find themselves in a heap of trouble as the device turns out to be something of extreme value, a device many would kill to possess. As the web of conspiracy and deceit grows, as does the level of danger (various individuals wind up getting killed), the group must use all their abilities to outwit those intent on stealing the device for themselves, using it for their own, nefarious purposes, and seeing Martin and his co-workers in jail, or even dead.Sneakers is a deceptive film. I've seen it a few times, the first time I saw it, it appeared to be a light movie (I've read that the makers of the film injected a modest amount of profanity into the script to avoid a `G' rating, for fears the movie would have been perceived as a film for children) with a few, gaping plot holes, but subsequent viewings (for me, at least), reveal it to be a very rich, complex, intelligent, enjoyable thriller with an excellent cast and a tight storyline with little or no mistakes, and the plot holes I originally perceived actually dealt with, many times in very subtle ways, hence the need for repeat viewings (it's important to pay attention to many of the little details provided throughout). Redford and Poitier are the strongest cast members in the film, but they don't necessarily come off that way, as they seem to understand the importance of their parts within the whole of the film, instilling a subtleness within their performances, allowing for the focus to be on the story rather on themselves. This seems to be an obvious sign of their experience, and I found myself appreciating this, as often starring actors tend to be full of themselves, and their efforts on screen show it...originally it seemed to me that the character development was a bit light, but I've since come to feel we're given just exactly what's needed for the story, and anymore would have bordered on the extraneous and unnecessary. Also, it's nice to see a film where Dan Aykroyd plays a relatively minor part, doing what he's told, having nothing to do with the writing or directing (he not only wrote but directed the one of the worst films I've ever seen in 1991's Nothing But Trouble). Also, I usually tend to like women with the longer hair, but I thought Mary McDonnell, with her short hair and all, looked very attractive and added a wonderful, feminine element to this nearly all male cast with her role as Liz, a former lover of Bishop, now assisting the group seemingly out of appreciation of Bishop's past. Director Robinson keeps the pacing tight, and uses the talent within the film well (I supposed this is helped by the fact he also wrote the screenplay, so he has an intimate understanding of the visuals he wants to present in accordance with the story). The McGuffin (a term invented by Alfred Hitchcock to describe the element of the film the plot centers on...he would often present, but rarely elaborate on it, as its' specifics were never important, in his mind, only its' use in providing focus for the story and progressing the plot) seems a bit farfetched, but the smart story and the talented performances do well in creating a level of believability that got through this aspect. Another important feature of the film is the musical score, provided by legendary and prolific composer James Horner (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Aliens). Usually I neglect mentioning the music within a film unless it's either really bad or really good (the latter being the case here). I wonder how many people are aware that he started out composing for low budget producer Roger Corman, working on films like Battle Beyond the Stars and Humanoids From the Deep, both released 1980. A couple of minor appearances worth looking for are Donal Logue (Blade, The Tao of Steve), James Earl Jones (Clear and Present Danger), and Timothy Busfield (Revenge of the Nerds). Favorite line from the film? When Bishop is talking to the NSA guys and responds, "I could have been in the NSA, but they found out my parents were married."The widescreen anamorphic picture (1.85:1) looks reasonably fair, and the Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 tracks (available in English, French, and Spanish) sound decent. Special features include an original theatrical trailer for the film, subtitles, informative production notes, background and filmographies of some of the cast and crew, a `making of' featurette, and commentary track by the director. All in all a decent release of a really good film.Cookieman108

This is a very fun movie with some heavy duty starpower - Sydney Poiter, and Robert Redford, with Dan Akyroyd, Ben Kingsley (not til the end), River Phoenix and David Strathairn, and Mary McDonnell as the obligatory hot chick that needs to be rescued.Some action, some very cool math, a blind man driving, and lots of enjoyment to be had by all.

The actors and the plot of the story were very entertaining.

Like how well I received the item in time.And the quality of the product.

I really enjoy this movie, and was very happy to see it released by Universal on HD-DVD. This movie has a lot of big names in it, and they really deliver. It has great suspenseful moments, international intrigue, a believable plot, and a lot of humorous moments that are actually funny! There are plenty of other places to look if you are looking for a synopsis of the movie, including the standard DVD page, so I'll leave it to them to tell you about the movie if you don't already know it.My review here will be about the HD transfer itself. Overall, I was really impressed! It's a definite jump from the standard DVD, even upconverted. I might even go so far as to say that some selected scenes look incredible. Most of the scenes in Sneakers are dialogue, and a lot of people in them, and I noticed that the clarity of people's faces and eyes was great. The shots of the buildings, and the Scrabble tiles being rearranged I thought were great. For the most part though, the PQ is good, but certainly not demo material.There is definitely some grain noticable, but I was happy to find it wasn't distracting. Even in some of the darker scenes where I expected some heavy grain, the grain was only noticable, not obtrusive. The sound is also excellent. I don't know if it is better than the S-DVD, but I had no complaints with the 5.1 soundtrack. Sure I would have loved me some lossless audio, but I didn't expect it and it isn't really a big deal to me that it isn't there.I have only 2 complaints about this disc. First, I wish Universal had cleaned it up a bit better. There were a fair amount of "flecks" floating through the picture throughout. Of course, once I stopped focusing on the picture and enjoyed my movie, I didn't notice them except for a few brief moments, but they are definitely there. Is it hard to clean the master? I was a bit disappointed in that area, as most films in HD are extremely clean, with flecks only occasionally. These were fairly constant. My second complaint is extremely minor and more personal, but I wish there were some Spanish subtitles.Overall, I am very happy with this disc, and would definitely recommend the purchase to anyone who enjoyed the movie. It's a definite improvement from the S-DVD. It's certainly not a movie I'd pop in to show off my TV for friends, but then I never expected that. The only thing that I wish had been done differently would have been for a cleaner transfer, removing some of the larger and more noticable flecks.Bottom line? If you like this movie, this is a must have. It is an excellent step up from the standard DVD.

Old movie with great plot.

I love this movie and was delighted to spot it had been given a Blu-Ray release.I'm giving it 4 stars mainly because the movie is so awesome. It has one of the best ensemble casts ever. So many quotable lines and moments.It's a masterclass in storytelling.I was a bit disappointed to discover that the picture quality hasn't been improved for this edition. I was hoping they might have gone back to the source to improve the quality for the Blu-Ray - alas they did not. This is the same picture quality you will get from a DVD.There are no special features, which is another disappointment. I was hoping they might have dug up some old interviews etc, but hey.Sneakers is still a brilliant movie and is worth your time for that alone.Note: for any curious buyers, this Blu-Ray did NOT include a digital download code.

1992 drehte Phil Alden Robinson (sein bekannter Film ist "Feld der Träume mit Kevin Costner) einen Film, den man zu verschiedenen Genren zählen kann.Eine Gruppe von Männern (und einer Frau), alle in ihrem Fach sehr gut, sind auf die Sicherheitvorkehrungen großen Firmen spezialisiert. Sie zeigen den Banken, wo ihre Schwachstellen liegen, in dem sie z.B. einen fingierten Einburuch in das System durchführen.Die Gruppe hat keinen richtigen Leite/Boss, jeder macht sein Ding. Martin Bishop (Robert Redford) war schon als Student ein IT Spezialist, Donald Crease (Sidney Poitier) arbeitete bei der Bundesbehörde, Mother (Dan Aykroyd), Whistler (David Strathairn) und Carl (River Phoenix) leben seit eher mehr in einer virtuellen Welt. Whistler ist blind, sein Gehör macht ihm zu Spezialisten in seiner Tätigkeit, Mother ist groß und übergewichtig, er möchte einen Wohnmobil mit dem Wasserbett und einer großen Küche. Carl ist jung und will mit einem Mädchen ein Date - nur weiß er nicht, wie das gehen sollte.Ihre Aufträge sind immer speziell, ob sie auch legal sind, ist eine andere Frage. Das kümmert sie nur am Rande.Ein Angebot, das sie nicht ablehnen können. Besonders, weil der Arbeitgeber vieles über Marty weiß, was er sogar seinen Freunden verschwiegen hat. Er könnte zwar ablehnen, würde seine Unabhängigkeit infrage stellen.So macht sich die Gruppe nach der Suche - eine Black-Box soll existieren. Mit vielen Dateien, ein Mathematiker hält die Vorlesungen darüber.Wie immer, wird auch diesmal unkonventionell gearbeitet. Und man hat schnell die ersten Erfolge. Nur, wem nützen sie? Die Box, sie hat es in sich. Es war zwar schwierig sie zu entziffern, aber nicht unmöglich.Aber, auf einmal sind die Männer sehr interessant geworden. Es gibt einige, die mehr über diese ominöse Sache erfahren wollen.Und Marty muß seine Freundin Liz (Mary McDonnell) um einen Gefallen bitten. Sind sie überhaupt sicher? Was können sie tun? Und wer ist der Auftraggeber...In einem Finale, das die Zuschauer die Welt der Computers, der Kryptographie etwas näher bringt, sind viele Möglichkeiten offen. Es wird gerannnt, es wird hektisch, komisch, lautlos und nicht ganz ungefährlich.Ein Film, der vorletzte von River Phoenix, der uns die "gute alte Zeit" der 90-Jahren näherbringt. Da waren die "Guten" noch in Ordnung, obwohl...man weiß es nie.Warum hier eine wichtige Person fehlt, ein Schauspieler, der mir am besten gefallen hat, sehen Sie den Film selbst. Auch nach fast 27 Jahren - immer noch sehr sehr aktuell.Bin mir nicht sicher, ob die Rezension zu sehen wird. Man weiß wirklich nicht, was hier zuviel ist.Naja, die Besprechung ist - nichts besonderes, der Film schon.Unten geht es weiter.

REVIEW (SPOILERFREI)▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔Nicht nur, dass der Film eine absolute Top-Besetzung hat, sondern zudem noch eine wunderbare Geschichte, die mir nie langweilig zu sein scheint. Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Ben Kingsley, River Phoenix, Dan Aykroyd, Mary McDonnel und noch viele mehr sind mit von der Partie und begeistern mit charmanten Dialogen und einer präzisen Ausdrucks- und Schauspielweise, wie ich sie selten so überhaupt in einem Film gesehen habe.Ob bei Langeweile, nach dem Feierabend oder abends mit Popcorn und Freunden...dieser Film lässt sich praktisch immer und zu jeder Zeit anschauen. Zumindest empfinde ich es so.UNTERHALTUNG: ★★★★★ACTION: ★★★☆☆LEIDENSCHAFT/EROTIK: ★☆☆☆☆HUMOR: ★★★★☆LOGIK: ★★★★☆REALISMUS: ★★★☆☆MEIN FAZIT: Wen Charme mehr anzieht als CGI und Geballer, wird hier bestens bedient und bekommt eines der besten Filme, die meiner Meinung nach je gedreht wurden.

Zum Film gibt es nicht viel zu sagen Top Film dessen Thema immer noch aktuell. Besetzung ohne Worte einfach Top Stars, von Robert Redfort über Sidney Poitier bis zum Megasuperstar Ben Kingsley alles vorhanden ! Der Film ist sehr gut geworden Bild und Ton auf Blu Ray ok ! Bin von der DVD Version auf Blu Ray umgestiegen. Von mir klare Kaufempfehlung !

I remember enjoying this movie in VHS and I'm so glad I've picked it up in DVD. The characters and interactions are so much fun and the actors are superb. The technology is a somewhat dated, but the ideas persist and, in fact, have become particularly relevant as American infrastructure, voting systems and political climate are being compromised by foreign powers in real life. The movie is still a lot of fun to watch and enjoy and is still relevant and thought-proving.