Hackers [Blu-ray]

Director: Iain Softley Iain Softley

Overview

After breaking into the computers of a massive oil company, a group of teen-age hackers uncovers evidence of a wide-ranging embezzling scheme. Their intrusion is discovered, and they must rally to find proof and save themselves before they are captured by the police in this techno-thriller.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/18/2015
UPC:	0826663160161
Original Release:	1995
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	18,777

Special Features

The keyboard cowboys: a look back at Hackers; Brand-new interviews with director Iain Softley, cast members Fisher Stevens, Matthew Lillard and Penn Jillette, costume designer Roger Burton, visual effects artist Peter Chiang, hacking consultants Nicholas Jarecki and Emmanuel Goldstein and film critic Mark Kermode!; Original trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jonny Lee Miller	Dade
Angelina Jolie	Kate
Jesse Bradford	Joey
Matthew Lillard	Cereal
Laurence Mason	Nikon
Renoly Santiago	Phreak
Fisher Stevens	The Plague
Alberta Watson	Lauren Murphy
Wendell Pierce	Agent Dick Gill
Lorraine Bracco	Margo
Darren Lee	Razor
Peter Y. Kim	Blade,Blade
Ethan Browne	Curtis
Penn Jillette	Hal
Michael Gaston	Agent Bob
Marc Anthony	Agent Ray
Liza Walker	Laura
Bob Sessions	Mr. Ellingson
Blake Willett	S.S. Agent, Seattle
Max Ligosh	Young Dade
Felicity Huffman	Attorney
Paul Klementowicz	Michael Murphy
Richard Ziman	Judge
Bill Maul	Norm
William DeMeo	Jock
Denise George	Denise
Jeb Handwerger	Freshman on the Roof
Mitchell Nguyen-McCormick	Freshman on the Roof
Gary Klar	Mr. Simpson
Terry Porter	Joey's Mom
Johnny Myers	1st Sysops Technician
Kevin Brewerton	2nd Sysops Technician
Sam Douglas	English Teacher
Kal Weber	1st V.P.
Jeff Harding	2nd V.P.
Tom Hill	2nd S.S. Agent
Jennifer Rice	Reporter
Douglas W. Iles	Addict Hank
Annemarie Zola	Addict Vickie
Michael Potts	Tow Truck Driver
Nancy Ticotin	Phreak's Mom
Mike Cicchetti	Ellingson Guard
Mick O'Rourke	Phone Repairman
Dave Stewart	London Hacker
Naoko Mori	Tokyo Hacker
Roberta Gotti	Italian Hacker
Ravil Isyanov	Russian Hacker
Olegario Fedoro	Russian Hacker
Eric Loren	News Technician
Kristin Moreu	Flight Attendant
Tony Sibbald	Jail Guard
Richard Purro	Talkshow Host
Enzo Junior	Da Vinci Virus
Yoshinori Yamamoto	3rd V.P.
Ralph Winter	4th V.P.
Kimbra Standish	Receptionist
Steven Angiolini	Rollerblader
Lawrence Mason	Nikon
Ricco Ross	Reporter
Jennifer Badger	Actor
Melissa Barkan	Actor
Joseph Lloyd	Actor
Christo Morse	Actor
Felix Santiago	Actor
Christopher Waller	Actor
Simon Boswell	Composer
Guy Pratt	Composer

Technical Credits

Rafael Moreu

Iain Softley	Director,Executive Producer
Peter Chiang	Special Effects
Dianne Crittenden	Casting
Tim Field	Special Effects
Jery Hewitt	Stunts
Michael Peyser	Producer
Ralph Winter	Producer
Rafael Moreu	Screenwriter
Todd R. Smith	Key Grip
Jim Dowdall	Stunts
Peter Baldock	Sound/Sound Designer
Peter Lindsay	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

It might be an overstatement to say that 1995's high-school techno-thriller Hackers has aged like a fine wine, but it's certainly acquired a distinct quality over time. Maybe it's plain old nostalgia, but the movie's absurd premise and predictable plot only add to the kitsch factor achieved through its over-the-top characters--not to mention jargon-heavy dialogue that probably sounded dated within a month of the film's release ("Woah, she's got a 28.8 BPS modem!"). The movie is hokey for sure, but the cheesiness is endearing, in part because of how delightfully far it goes. This is owed in a large part to the movie's art direction: it's perhaps the only film that fully captured the '90s cyber-culture aesthetic while setting the story in present day. Depictions of actual computer interfaces all, of course, resemble cryptic and ornate screen-savers, and people go around wearing spandex cycling mock turtlenecks and bright orange road-worker reflector vests as if it were the latest fashion. Teenage geniuses regularly discuss their hacking exploits while sitting around a dingy but elaborately technofied club, where patrons rollerblade around the premises, play video games on a 15 foot high screen, and jam to legitimately good electronic music. The soundtrack to Hackers is, in fact, a compilation of some of the best electronica of the '90s, and features artists like Orbital, Machines of Loving, and Plastico. Hackers is so awesome in spite of itself, largely because its young actors sell it so well and so likeably. A twenty year old Angelina Jolie seems sultrier than her age, utilizing what would become her trademark smoldering manner with a fun self awareness, always appearing to enjoy the performance as much as we do. Hero Johnny Lee Miller does a great job of attacking his character's super-smarts and pseudo-political hacker philosophy with enthusiasm, and it's funny to hear his Scottish brogue occasionally push through the Boston/New York mishmash of an American accent he affects. It's also fun to watch the chemistry brew between he and Jolie, as the two surpass the simple romance handed to them in the script and emanate real sexual tension--which is no surprise, as they later entered into a short, real-life marriage. Then unknown Matthew Lillard steals the show in all his scenes, playing the hacker clique's resident wild man, spewing non-sequiturs and bursting into excited howls at every opportunity. It may be a little too outrageous and silly for earnest viewing, but Hackers has most definitely earned its place in the halls of '90s nostalgia, positively delicious if watched with more than a few grains of salt.