Swordfish (US)
Click to read:
Log on. Hack in. Go anywhere. Steal everything
Certificate: R
Running Time: 99 mins
Retail Price: $24.98
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
Use a computer, go to jail. The terms of Stanley Jobson`s parole are clear. Yet a $10-million payday awaits the superhacker if he takes on a job masterminded by a charismatic covert agent - the daring electronic theft of a government slush fund codenamed Swordfish.
John Travolta is the mastermind, Hugh Jackman is the hacker and Halle Berry and Don Cheadle co-star in this volatile high-tech thriller directed by Dominic Sena (Gone in 60 Seconds) and produced by Joel Silver (The Matrix) and Jonathan D. Krane (Face/Off). Log on, tap in, kick back for cyber-edge action and suspense. Your password for excitement is Swordfish.
Special Features:
Feature-Length Audio Commentary by Director Dominic Sena
Behind-The-Scenes Documentaries The Making Of Swordfish and The Effects In Focus
2 Alternate Endings
Theatrical Trailer
DVD-ROM Features:
Become A Superhacker To Unlock Restricted Files
Link To The Original Theatrical Web Site and Other Locations
Log In To Future Online Events
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1 French
Subtitle Tracks:
French
English
Spanish
CC: English
Directed By:
Dominic Sena
Written By:
Skip Woods
Starring:
John Travolta
Drea de Matteo
Vinnie Jones
Sam Shepard
Don Cheadle
Halle Berry
Hugh Jackman
Casting By:
Lora Kennedy
Soundtrack By:
Christopher Young
Paul Oakenfold
Director of Photography:
Paul Cameron
Editor:
Stephen E. Rivkin
Costume Designer:
Ha Nguyen
Production Designer:
Jeff Mann
Producer:
Skip Woods
Paul Winze
Joel Silver
Jonathan D. Krane
Linda Favila
Anson Downes
Dan Cracchiolo
Executive Producer:
Jim Van Wyck
Kristen Branan
Bruce Berman
Distributor:
Warner Bros
Your Opinions and Comments
While Jackman is doing a good job as a hacker who got mixed with the wrong crowd, Travolta continues to prove that he cannot act (not even as the bad guy) and Berry reveals her 2 best features.
The last 15 minutes of the movie are hilariously stupid (the scene with the helicopter - oh, come on).
The video transfer is good. There are no compression signs at all, and the explosions look very real. Almost too real.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is good. The surrounds are nicely used during the numerous action scenes.
The menus are still with music.
The extras include a commentary track, a behind the scenes look, 2 alternate endings and some DVD-ROM features.
Bottom line - a dull movie that offers nothing other than some nice special effects.
Plot! I think I`ve got this worked out. Travolta is a terrorist who fights terrorists with terrorism, and is not above sacrificing the odd innocent civilian, via terrorist means in order to fund his terrorist fighting activities.
Right then. The rest of the film. Yeah, it`s not bad. Once again, it`s a Hollywood portrayal of computer hackers.
Clear enough? Also, in Hollywood, computers never crash. I only have to switch mine on and the f***er crashes. And they have all this flashy s*** flying across the screen. Spinning cubes and stuff, and while all this is going on, Hugh is disco-dancing. He is a disco-dancing hacker. Oh dear.
Other than that, I didn`t have a sodding clue what they were talking about. They kept banging on about worms and ciphers and 128-bit encryption and firewalls. It was entirely obvious the actors didn`t have a f***ing clue either. They tried their best though to make it dead sexy. Halle Berry practically has an orgasm whenever she talks about 5 trillion bit throughput firewall decoders in a plasmatronic shield.
Really, the film borders on average, but just about scrapes into the recommended zone thanks to some inventive set-pieces. There`s oral sex and flying buses (but not in the same scene). There`s an enjoyable Travolta monologue about `Dog Day Afternoon`, and an incredible explosion that has to be seen to be believed; it makes you wonder how much further they can push "things exploding."
It all zips along at a fair old pace and you`ll never get bored.
Oh yeah, and did I tell you Halle Berry pops her knockers out?