Phil Alden Robinson - Sneakers (x-post amazon)

This movie is well made and enjoyable, though i can hardly call it critical. The good parts : Redford and gang make a charismatic and entertaining team of legal conmen. The personalities are well rounded for such a movie, and though a bit caricatured, all of them are respectfully portrayed. The manner in which they work with one another is entertaining to watch, though there are no surprises on the inter-relational level. The concept is as plausible as can be expected for a thriller of this type, and as long as that is accepted, a good time will be had. If you feel like dissecting the actual technological side of things too much annoyances will occur, but reality would be less cinematic, so it's best just to let it slide. (If you happen to have that decryption device be sure to let me know as soon as possible!) I really can't call it a suspenseful thriller, since the good guys are too obviously good and the bad guys too obviously bad to cast any doubt on the outcome. The suspense-setpieces are entertaining to watch, and the ways in which they infiltrate the places they need to be is pure funstuff. The villain is a bit deranged and his motivations/employers remain something of a mystery. Which i find rather annoying. He becomes too delusional and ignorant to seem like much of a threat. The organization to which he belongs remains completely invisible so that the movie can focus on the personal relationship between Redford and Kingsley. I would've preferred it if the movie was more focused on structures than individuals, but that is generally not what these kinds of thrillers are there for. All in all i had fun, and that is what counts.