SWORDFISH

Starring: John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Vinnie Jones

Director: Dominic Sena

Running Time: 99 mins

Available to buy on DVD January 28th

Recently released from jail, computer hacker Stanley Jobson (Jackman) is visited by the beautiful Ginger (Berry). She tells him that her employer will give him $100,000 if he will come to LA to meet with him. This would mean breaking the terms of his parole, as he is not allowed to leave the state of Texas and he is not even allowed anywhere near a computer. The problem is that Stanley really needs the money to finance a custody case for his daughter. Reluctantly agreeing to go, he arrives and meets the mysterious Gabriel (Travolta), a man who has everything and can do anything. He wants Stanley to help him and for the chiefly sum of $10 million, all he needs to do is utilise his skills to crack a 128 bit encryption code, that when cracked will give Gabriel access to $9.5 billion. This is the total value of Drug money seized by the DEA in an operation called Swordfish.

From the producer of the Matrix, Joel Sliver and the director of Gone in Sixty seconds, Dominic Sena comes a trade make Hollywood action flick. Big stunts, colossal explosions, massive gunfights and gargantuan slow motion Bullet-time set pieces, all delivered at a pace that is truly relentless. For a gung-ho, no-brainer action movie, it does have the resemblance of a decent plot with an underlying message, which is usually not very evident in a film like this. It is not strong enough though to distract you from the main purpose of the movie, the crescendo of action sequences. Each one is more extravagant than the last, but you can see where the money was spent, as it is all there on the big screen.

A good ensemble cast supports all this, with John Travolta just failing to come across as truly menacing, because he has a really silly haircut and a daft beard. The main problem I had with the movie was Hollywood’s continual portrayal of anyone who has anything to do with computers as cool, good-looking and extremely attractive to the opposite sex. We all know that this is totally untrue, as the people who really make all the money out of computers all look like Bill Gates. Aside from this the movie is just pure adrenalin pumping entertainment that will keep you hooked from its explosive beginning to its twisty-turny ending.

2 Behind-The-Scenes Documentaries: 'The Making Of Swordfish' and 'The Effects In Focus'
Feature-Length Commentaries
2 Alternate Endings Not Included In Theatrical Release
Restricted Files: Hidden Features
Original Theatrical Trailer
Cast and Director Film Highlights
Interactive Menu & Scene Access
5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound


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