A film review of Hackers (1995)

Hackers is a 1995 movie starring Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller. Directed by Iain Softley, the thriller follows the events of a gang of high school computer hackers and their attempts to cause high-spirited chaos in the computer world. The following is a film review of Hackers (1995).

The plot

At the tender age of eleven, Dade "Zero Cool" Murphy has an uncanny ability with hacking high-profile computer systems. Arrested for almost causing a major Wall Street crash, Zero Cool is banned from touching a computer until he turns 18. Back in the game on his 18th birthday, Dade acquaints himself with a rebellious group of fellow hackers. These include Kate "Acid Burn" Libby, Joey Pardella, Emmanuel "Cereal Killer" Goldstein, Paul "Lord Nikon" Cook and Ramon "Phantom Phreak" Sanchez. In their journey through cyberspace, the hackers encounter the notorious Eugene Belford, aka The Plague. The Plague is out to break the big corporate banks and lures the young gang members into his extortion conspiracy.

The cast

Jonny Lee Miller - Miller stars as Dade Murphy, aka Zero Cool, the computer fascinated teenager. Angelina Jolie - Jolie plays the part of Kate Libby, aka Acid Burn, a no-nonsense cyber game freak with a secret affection for Dade. Jesse Bradford - Bradford assumes the role of fellow junior hacker Joey Pardella. Matthew Lillard - As Emmanuel Goldstein (Cereal Killer), Lillard plays the part of the gang's natural prankster. Laurence Mason - Mason features as Paul Cook, alias Lord Nikon, the boy with the photographic memory. Renoly Santiago - Ramon Sanchez, the Phantom Phreak and telephone whiz kid. Fisher Stevens - Eugene Belford (The Plague) is a former hacker cum corporate security expert. Marc Anthony - Anthony has a bit part role as Agent Ray of the Secret Service.

Final word

On the whole, Hackers received mixed reviews. Whereas most people found the film to be impressive in terms of its visual effects and glimpse into the perplexing world of hackers, they also found the plot to be unconvincing. The movie currently holds a respectable score of 5.9 on IMDB and a 32% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, what did prove to be successful was the Hackers soundtrack. Released in three volumes, the soundtrack is dominated by tracks of underground electronic bands such as Underworld, Leftfield, Orbital and The Prodigy. Volume I is compiled of songs featuring in the film with Volumes II and III, being songs inspired by Hackers the movie.