Good concept, poorly executed.

Excellent but underrated film

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

This movie is indeed fun, bolstered by some really strong performances, that of Strathairn, the much lost Phoenix, and the much underused Poitier, while I did like Ackroyd's hairdo. Steered by not the strongest performer, though Redford had a very natural flair for the role, he plays a genius and still wanted hacker who becomes embroiled in the past, when he's called upon/forced to steal this black box, and deliver it to the CIA. Complications do arise for him and his impressive team of counterparts, when they make a second attempt, where Redford's first solo one fails. Definitely thrilling and intriguing, as far as the hacking angle goes, I'll give you that, but really, when it comes down to it, the film doesn't really add up to anything special sitting between good and ordinary. Kingsley is great as always as Redford's betrayed hacker friend, now a nemesis, while Macdonell, adds sexy appeal as the lone female co star.

In 1969, Marty Brice and Cosmo hack into some Republican bank accounts. Cosmo gets arrested and Marty goes on the run. In present day, Marty (Robert Redford) has a new name in Bishop. His crew ex-CIA Donald Crease (Sidney Poitier), blind Irwin 'Whistler' Emery (David Strathairn), conspiracy nut Darren 'Mother' Roskow (Dan Aykroyd) and young hacker Carl Arbogast (River Phoenix) test security systems. The NSA hires them to steal a black box in exchange for clearing their records. They discover the box is a master decryption device and the NSA men are fake. Cosmo (Ben Kingsley) returns into Marty's life with a truly villainous plan for the box.Redford and Poitier are two veterans doing a lighter movie. It throws me for a loop. The feel is light fun. It probably needs a real comic to bring out some of the joking around. The Mother role could be played for more ridiculous fun. The twist is fine and the final caper is good. Since it's going for the comedic, it could have been wackier.

Movies that try to do a lot fail more often than they succeed. There's no doubt that "Sneakers" attempts to pull off a lot of things during its 126 minute running time. Just look at the genres its listed under on its page (and believe me, the film spends plenty of time in each of them). But while there are many films that suffer from being overly ambitious, "Sneakers" is not one of them. It's hard to imagine how this film could be any more perfect.Martin Bishop (Robert Redford) runs a business in testing security systems with an eccentric group of characters. However, they are hired by the NSA to steal a mysterious box from a scientist. Of course, not everything is what it seems.To say more would be a crime. "Sneakers" has enough twists and turns to keep the viewer guessing where it will go next. This is achieved by both Phil Alden Robinson's excellent direction, and a smart script where the heroes and villains are equally intelligent.The acting is terrific. Robert Redford is terrific as the low-key Bishop. Bishop has a dark past, but he's likable enough that we still root for him. His crew is made up of actors who turn in equally good performances: Sidney Poitier as the weary Creasy, Dan Aykroyd as the conspiracy freak known as Mother (the banter between Mother and Creasy is hilarious), the late River Phoenix as the teen-aged Carl, and David Stratharin is excellent as the blind, but excellent-hearing Whistler. And Mary McDonnell is delightful as Mary's ex-girlfriend Liz. The villains (I won't say who they are) ooze menace.Phil Alden Robinson made his debut with the hit "Field of Dreams," and he follows it up with "Sneakers." The tone is perfect. It's fun, easy-going, but it leaves room for legitimate tension. It's also oddly nostalgic. The result is a dreamy masterpiece.See "Sneakers." You won't be disappointed.

Sidney Poitier - River Phoenix - Dan Ackroyd - Mary McDonnell - Robert Redford - James Earl Jones... and Gandhi! Not to mention a youngish David Strathairn.This film made in 1992 is very relevant today, dealing with issues like encryption, security, access, Identification... At the time this film was made, the PC was just starting to be used for common uses. This film is a pretty accurate look back at the state of the industry for 1992, and some of the speculative uses shown here have actually come into being.This film shows Robert Redford as he heads a group of people who are uniquely talented in manipulating several fields of computer and telephone uses... and Ab-uses.As head of this band of electronic robin hoods, Redford as 'Marty' Bishop is tricked into stealing a piece of technology and handing it over to Bad Guys headed by "Cosmo" aka Gandhi/Ben Kingsley - And this piece of Tech can literally shout secrets over rooftops... Hence, "No More Secrets". The item in question actually deals with encryption algorithms that are still in use today.In an attempt to re-acquire this little gadget, Redford assembles his team and with the help of girlfriend Mary McDonnell, attempts to infiltrate the Marin County "fortress of solitude" of criminal Ben Kingsley.The technical and comedic situations which arise in this caper make a wholly fun and interesting film. These pranks are highly humorous and basically succeed... And some of them were not too far off the mark due to the technical assistance by one of the scientists who actually developed part of the technology which this film refers to.There are several nods and references to the films "THX-1138" by Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation", and Barry Levinson's "The Natural"... and "Three Days of the Condor".