Podcast 256: Sneakers

Movie Title: Sneakers
Release Date: September 11, 1992
Runtime: 126 minutes
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Screenplay Written By: Phil Alden Robinson, Lawrence Lasker, and Walter F. Parkes
Based On: Original screenplay; not based on prior source material.
Is it a remake?: No

Main Cast:

Robert Redford
Dan Aykroyd
Ben Kingsley
Mary McDonnell
River Phoenix
Sidney Poitier
David Strathairn
Timothy Busfield
Stephen Tobolowsky

Budget: Approximately $23 million

Box Office:

Domestic: $51,432,691
International: $53,800,000
Worldwide: $105,232,691

Awards:

Edgar Allan Poe Awards — nomination for Phil Alden Robinson
NAACP Image Awards — nomination for Sidney Poitier
No major Academy Award or Golden Globe nominations verified.

Core credits, runtime, budget, box office, and awards cross-checked through IMDb, Box Office Mojo, AFI Catalog, and Wikipedia.

Short Plot Summary:

Martin Bishop, a former fugitive hacker now running a security-testing team, is forced into stealing a mysterious black box by men claiming to be from the NSA. The team soon discovers the device can break high-level encryption, making it a threat to banks, governments, and personal privacy. As Bishop’s past catches up with him, his crew must outwit both official and criminal forces to keep the technology out of dangerous hands.

Key Quotes:

“There’s a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it’s not about who’s got the most bullets. It’s about who controls the information.” — Cosmo
“Too many secrets.” — Martin Bishop
“My voice is my passport. Verify me.” — Werner Brandes
“I cannot kill my friend.” — Cosmo
“I want peace on earth and goodwill toward men.” — Mother

Quotes verified through IMDb quote records and widely circulated film quote listings.

Trivia

Director:
- Phil Alden Robinson directed Sneakers after Field of Dreams. AFI credits him as director and one of the three screenwriters.
- Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes first developed the idea while researching WarGames. AFI notes they encountered the term “sneakers” as slang for high-tech security specialists paid to break into companies to find weaknesses.
- AFI reports the script was developed over roughly nine years, with the storyline changing repeatedly due to shifting political climates.
- A working title reported by Hollywood Reporter was Raiders of the Lost Computer.
Cast / Casting:
- Robert Redford plays Martin Bishop, also known as Marty Brice; AFI lists the character’s dual identity in the cast credits.
- The ensemble includes Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, and David Strathairn.
- AFI notes Robinson did not initially plan to direct, but chose to do so after Universal was able to cast Robert Redford in the lead role.
- Wikipedia’s production summary says Redford’s involvement helped recruit other cast and crew members, including Robinson.
Soundtrack / Score:
- The score was composed and conducted by James Horner.
- The soundtrack features saxophone by Branford Marsalis.
- Slate describes the score as using choirs, folk themes, minimalist piano, and Marsalis’s saxophone, giving the tech-thriller material an unusually emotional sound.
- La-La Land Records later released an expanded and remastered limited-edition 2-CD version of the score.
Location:
- Principal photography began October 28, 1991, in Oakland, California, at the Oakland Theatre.
- Filming continued in San Francisco, including waterfront and financial-district exteriors.
- Martin Bishop’s consulting office and apartment were built on Stage 29 at Universal City Studios.
- Young Marty’s college scenes were filmed on Universal’s Courthouse Square backlot, the same town-square set associated with the Back to the Future films.
- The “Playtronics” building was Gibraltar Savings’ former headquarters in Simi Valley, California.
Act 1:
- The opening flashback establishes Martin Brice and Cosmo as student hackers who redirect money from political and corporate targets before Cosmo is arrested and Martin escapes.
- Decades later, Martin lives as Martin Bishop and runs a legal penetration-testing team that breaks into businesses to expose security flaws.
- The team’s makeup gives the movie its caper rhythm: a former CIA operative, a conspiracy-minded technician, a young hacker, and a blind phone-phreak/audio expert.
- The black-box job begins when men posing as government agents use Bishop’s old identity to pressure him into stealing the device.
Act 2:
- The black box is hidden inside an answering machine on mathematician Gunter Janek’s desk. AFI’s synopsis identifies the device as a program capable of breaking secure encryption systems.
- After Janek is killed, Bishop and Crease realize the supposed NSA agents may not be legitimate.
- Gregor Ivanovich warns Bishop that he is in danger after identifying Buddy Wallace as a former NSA figure.
- Cosmo’s reveal connects the present-day conspiracy back to Bishop’s past, turning the caper into a personal confrontation over technology, politics, and control.
Act 3:
- Whistler identifies Cosmo’s location using sound clues Bishop remembers from being abducted, a key payoff for the character’s audio expertise.
- Liz helps the team gain access to Werner Brandes by using a dating-service setup, then steals his access codes.
- The final negotiation with NSA director Bernard Abbott ends with the team demanding personal rewards, including clearing Bishop’s record and giving Mother a Winnebago.
- The ending reveals Bishop secretly kept the key chip, followed by a news report that the Republican National Committee has gone bankrupt while Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and the United Negro College Fund have received major anonymous donations.
Easter Eggs:
- The title refers to “sneakers,” a term the writers learned could mean high-tech security experts hired to break into businesses and expose weaknesses.
- The opening credits contain anagrams, including “A turnip cures Elvis” before “Universal Pictures presents,” and “Fort red border” before “Robert Redford.”
- “Setec Astronomy,” the black-box code phrase, is an anagram for “Too many secrets,” one of the film’s central lines.
- Universal promoted the film with computerized press kits on floppy disk and a CompuServe tie-in, making the marketing unusually tech-forward for 1992.
Misc:
- AFI lists real-life inspirations for the film’s hacker/security world, including hacker John Draper, also known as “Cap’n Crunch,” and John Strauchs, a former CIA agent who founded a security-consulting firm.
- Universal’s CompuServe promotion included online discussion with Phil Alden Robinson and an anagram-cracking contest for users.
- AFI notes Universal sent out 4,000 computerized press kits on floppy disk and arranged screenings for computer enthusiasts in 25 cities.
- The film grossed $105,232,691 worldwide against an approximately $23 million budget.
- Box Office Mojo lists the domestic opening at $10,031,145 and the domestic total at $51,432,691.