For the longest time in media there has not been a good depiction of hacking.
Most of it involved people typing super-fast on a computer while someone looks over their shoulder in awe.
The only recent depiction of hacking in modern media is in the show Mr. Robot.
I am not here to talk about realistic hacking media though, today I am going to tell you about a hidden gem of a movie called Hackers.
Hackers is a 1995 film directed by Lain Softley and stars Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard, Laurence Mason, Renoly Santiago, Lorraine Bracco, and Fisher Stevens.
Please bear with me as I explain the ludicrous plot to the film.
The film is about this kid named Davy Murphy aka “zero cool” or “crash overdrive.” When he was like 12, he hacked into a bank causing mass chaos.
As punishment for his crime, he could not touch a pay phone or computer till he is 18.
In present day he moves to NY with his mom and continues hacking. He also meets a bunch of other hackers at his new school.
After getting to know them they all get framed for creating a virus. So crash overdrive and his fellow hackers must find the real culprit of the virus.
I cannot tell you any more without spoiling the rest of the film.
The film is a product of its time from the music to the fashion even the way they get around which is roller-skates.
Some people may argue that makes the film dated but I would argue that that is what makes it so great.
Another aspect that makes this film absolute gold is the hacking.
They will show these wild screens filled with numbers and shapes and frankly they look just like screen savers.
Knowing movie production, I can tell you that the computer screens where digitally edited in.
Finally, the last aspect of the film I really loved is the quotes. Quotes from this film like “HACK THE PLANET” or the other quote “mess with the best die like the rest.”
Overall, the film technically is not good, but it is good in the way of showing how our understanding of computers and tech evolved over the years.
It is also just super cheesy and a film you can just turn on and not think too hard about what you are watching
