Sneakers

"We could tell you what it's about. But then, of course, we'd have to kill you."

1992 2h 5m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 1,104

ComedyCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When shadowy U.S. intelligence agents blackmail a reformed computer hacker and his eccentric team of security experts into stealing a code-breaking 'black box' from a Soviet-funded genius, they uncover a bigger conspiracy. Now, he and his 'sneakers' must save themselves and the world economy by retrieving the box from their blackmailers.

“We could tell you what it's about. But then, of course, we'd have to kill you.”

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Cast

Robert Redford
Bishop
Sidney Poitier
Crease
David Strathairn
Whistler
Dan Aykroyd
Mother
River Phoenix
Carl
Ben Kingsley
Cosmo
Denise Dowse
Bank Teller
Timothy Busfield
Dick Gordon

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Writers: Walter F. Parkes, Phil Alden Robinson, Lawrence Lasker
Languages: English, Italian, Mandarin, Russian, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

34 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 5 languages: English, Italian, Mandarin, Russian, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Phil Alden Robinson, shot by John Lindley. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Horner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tom Rolf shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier and David Strathairn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "We could tell you what it's about. But then, of course, we'd have to kill you.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Phil Alden Robinson directs. John Lindley behind the camera. James Horner scores. Tom Rolf cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian, Mandarin, Russian, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.6× over at the box office.
234 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 5 languages: English, Italian, Mandarin, Russian, French.
4Directed by Phil Alden Robinson, shot by John Lindley. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by James Horner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Tom Rolf shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier and David Strathairn carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "We could tell you what it's about. But then, of course, we'd have to kill you.".
9IMDB entry: tt0105435 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10The top-rated still from this film on TMDB has multiple community votes — a signal the frame composition stuck with viewers.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "hacker", "san francisco, california", "mathematician", "assignment".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Lindley
Original score: James Horner
Editing: Tom Rolf
Production design: Patrizia von Brandenstein
Costume design: Bernie Pollack
Makeup / hair: Tamara Guthrie
Sound: Donald O. Mitchell
Stunt coordinator: Glenn Randall Jr.
Runtime: 125 min · 2h 5m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $23,000,000
Box office: $105,232,691
Return: 458% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Sneakers (1992)

Also by

Phil Alden Robinson

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-05-26
★ 7/10
A great night in with a top cast having fun. "I could have joined the NSA but they found out my parents were married!" The DVD box proudly proclaims that the film is one of the most satisfying suspense films ever! Naturally this is hyperbole from the marketing department, but it's stuff like that that can make or break the chance of a viewers expectation level being achieved. I opened this write up with a funny line spoken by Robert Redford because having just finished the film I feel all jolly, and that is a priceless thing after watching one of the most suspenseful films ever! (groan). This film is a multi genre offering, it has pretty much most bases covered and features a cast of actors from different eras clearly enjoying the work that they are doing. There is no earth shattering twists or performances to match, it's a tight and intelligent script that's written to provide two hours of pure entertainment. It does have suspense, and it does make you think about how technology can be an incredible tool/weapon, but chiefly the film is one that you all can watch during a night in and be safe in the knowledge that your rental or TV time hasn't been wasted. 7.5/10 Footnote: The ending is fabulous, I really should go for a higher rating purely for the incredulous looks that James Earl Jones gives as the final reel draws to a close.

Production companies