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Swordfish

Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Once you know the password you can go anywhere.

There exists a world within our world. A world beneath what we call cyberspace. A world protected by firewalls, passwords and the most advanced security systems. In this world we hide our deepest secrets, our most incriminating information, and of course, a whole lot of money. This is the world of Swordfish.

Gabriel Shear (John Travolta), a charismatic and dangerous spy wanting to finance his own brand of patriotism, needs inside this world. If he can get in, billions in illegal government funds wait for the taking. To actually steal the money, however, he'll need a super-hacker, someone whose talents make even the most airtight security systems of the world look like child's play.

That's where Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) enters the picture. One of the two best hackers on the planet, Stanley has been forbidden to get within 70 metres of the nearest electronics shop after doing time for wreaking havoc on the FBI's controversial high-tech cyber surveillance operations. Now Stanley is living out his life in a broken-down trailer, penniless, alone and without the two things that give his life meaning - his computer and his daughter, Holly (Camryn Grimes), whom he lost in a divorce.

Gabriel and his beautiful partner Ginger (Halle Berry) lure Stanley into their clandestine world, baiting him with the one thing he can't have - a chance to reunite with Holly and start a new life. But once Stanley enters their world, he realises that nothing in this operation is what it seems and he has become a pawn in a plot that's a lot more sinister than a high-tech bank heist.

Persons of interest

John Travolta .... Gabriel Shear
Hugh Jackman .... Stanley Jobson
Halle Berry .... Ginger Knowles
Don Cheadle .... Agent JT Roberts
Sam Shepard .... Senator James Reisman
Vinnie Jones .... Marco
Drea de Matteo .... Melissa
Rudolf Martin .... Axel Torvalds
Zach Grenier .... Assistant Director Bill Joy
Camryn Grimes .... Holly Jobson
Angelo Pagan .... Torres
Skip Woods .... Screenwriter
Dominic Sena .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Swordfish official movie site
Studios and distributors:

Roadshow Films

Intelligence analyst

Secret Agent Acid Thunder

Theatrical report

Big boom!

Best part of the whole movie. If you're not a big action fan or a big effects fan, rent another movie. Swordfish isn't a complete waste of time but I did keep wondering when it would end: it could be shortened by a good 15 minutes.

All that aside, Swordfish is no X-Men, but as far as action is concerned it puts even Speed to shame; when it lacks for running around doing things it makes up for it with story.

Think Speed meets Gone in 60 seconds meets Hackers.