Swordfish (2001)

Genre: Action/Crime

Starring: Hugh Jackman, John Travolta, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Sam Shephard

Ex-American president, J.Edgar Hoover had allegedly started a secret department called Black Cell whose sole purpose was to initiate attacks against terrorists who have attacked or tried to attack American citizens. The department still continues, albeit illegally, by Senator Reisman (Shephard) who protects Gabriel Shear (Travolta) and lets him do the work he needs to do. Like any other terrorist outfit, Gabriel needs money to carry out his anti-terrorism operations and is looking for a capable hacker to help him in this. Enter Stanley Jobson (Jackman) one of the most famed hackers who is now leading a sedentary lifestyle after going to prison for 2 years on charges of computer crimes and also losing custody of his daughter to his drunk wife. Stan is desperate to get his daughter back, for which he needs money and it is something that Gabriel has in abundance. Gabriel simply wants Stanley to hack in to the WorldBanc mainframes and transfer him some money that he could use for his operations. Agent J.T. Roberts (Cheadle) was the man who put Stanley behind bars and is once again hunting down Stan and Gabrielle and wants to put an end to everything for good. The movie is a very typical American action movie with corrupt politicians, hackers, complicated computer systems, cars and planes blowing up every now and then and conspiracy theories. It lacks strong dialogues and good acting to complement the mildly innovative story. A good entertaining watch for those who love popcorn-action movies but if you're looking at a more solid story and good acting then this movie might not really deliver.

Thumbs up: Decent action entertainer

Thumbs down: A typical Hollywood action movie with nothing very different to offer

Rating: 6.5/10