Sneakers (1992)

Starring:

Robert Redford as Martin “Marty” Bishop

Sidney Poitier as Donald Crease

David Strathairn as Erwin “Whistler” Emory

Dan Aykroyd as Mother

River Phoenix as Carl Arbegast

Mary McDonnell as Liz

Ben Kingsley as Cosmo

James Earl Jones as Bernard Abbott

Things to Look For:

Historical references—when and where is the film set? What historical events are mentioned?

References to “new” technologies? How does it compare to today’s cyber-technologies?

“Caper movie” conventions (“caper movies” involve intricate plots, schemes, heists, cons, etc.)

Trivia:

The movie deals with the impact of a factoring breakthrough on encryption, an obvious reference to the RSA algorithm, one of the most popular methods of encrypting any form of data in the world.

The computer in the room off of Cosmo's office in the PlayTronics building (the one that looks like a circular bench) is actually a Cray Y-MP, a multi-million dollar supercomputer that was one of the worlds fastest computers at the time the film was made.

James Earl Jones' character, Bernard Abbott, was named after Robert Abbott, a charismatic technical consultant for the film. Abbott designed the first time-sharing (multi-user) operating system for the Cray CDC-6600, the predecessor of the Y-MP seen in the film. He is also often referred to as the "Father of Information Security" by seasoned veterans of the computing industry.

Questions for discussion:

What’s the purpose of the opening sequence in 1969?

What is the role of the NSA (National Security Agency) as explained early in the film?

What’s the significance of the Scrabble game in the film?

What, exactly, is Dr. Janek’s “black box”?

What is Cosmo’s plan for “changing the world” and why does he need the “black box”?

Do you agree with Cosmo’s argument at the end of the film that “who controls the information” will determine the balance of power in the future? Why or why not?