Swordfish (2001)
Action | Thriller | Crime

Log on. Hack in. Go anywhere. Steal everything.

John Travolta stars as Gabriel Shear, a sinister mastermind with an elite criminal crew who are desperately trying to access information locked inside a complicated computer system that contains government secrets and if they can hack it… a $9 billion payday.

User Comment: the unemployed critic • The twisty and tangled Swordfish reminds me quite a bit of last year's Ben Affleck heist flick Reindeer Games. Though both films are not identical in plot or appearance, they are both sneaky little B-list thrillers that some how came into A-List talent and money. At its very snappiest, Swordfish is a sleek, incredibly fun tech thriller with far too many resources for its own good.

Located in a top secret, heavily encrypted DEA computer is a slush fund worth over nine billion dollars. Gabriel Shear (John Travolta) is a top government agent who needs that money to fund his own private army to stop foreign terrorists in their own countries. Shear enlists Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman), a former cracker who's troubles with the law prevent him from seeing his beloved daughter, and from even looking at a computer. With the help of Shear's assistant Ginger (Halle Berry), Stanley is convinced to help break into the DEA computer and collect the money. On their trail is a burned-out cyber crimes agent (Don Cheadle) who always seems to be one step behind Shear and his gang.

Almost no character in Swordfish is simply good or bad. They all have shades of gray to them that keeps the audience guessing just who is working for whom. While hardly The Usual Suspects, Swordfish's character designs are surprisingly complex, and their motivations patriotic without the requisite American flag waving in the background (Michael Bay, I'm looking at you!). Through Travolta's character Gabriel Shear perpetrates evil deeds, in his own mind his goal is admirable: kill known terrorists to make America the most feared nation on the planet. Dodging the usual madman route, Swordfish is all the more enjoyable for keeping their villain even-tempered. It forces the audience to battle with it's own feelings on just how amoral Shear's ideas might be.

It always seems to be Travolta's finest hour when he portrays a villain (Face/Off, Broken Arrow), and Battlefield Earth doesn't count. In Swordfish, Travolta eats up his shady role with authority. It's almost effortless just how completely Travolta absorbs the screen with each appearance. Chalk it up to charisma or just plain old star power, Travolta - with his flowing locks and his soul-patch - is a site to behold.

Summary: Nothing fishy here, just a good time...

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