Sneakers [Blu-ray]

My wife introduced me to Sneakers, a film she knew from before we got together, and in the time since we have watched it time and again - it’s a great, funny, all star whodunit with some great twists and turns. Helmed by Robert Redford’s classic style, his fellow culprits include Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, Mary McDonnell, David Strathairn and Dan Aykryd (among others), a band of former folks outside the law, with Poitier’s law man, and Redford’s world-changer - they are still trying to change the world for the better, but not making a killing at it. When two mysterious men from the government show up - knowing their backgrounds - it’s a chance to clear their names and move forward into bigger and better... but nothing is ever as it seems. The twists and turns are at once funny and well placed, surprising and revealing of who they each are. It’s a stellar cast with outstanding writing and a story worthy the journey. In the end it’s a fun ride and one we take again and again. We love this film and spending time with this merry band....

I really enjoy this movie, and was very happy to see it released by Universal on HD-DVD. This movie has a lot of big names in it, and they really deliver. It has great suspenseful moments, international intrigue, a believable plot, and a lot of humorous moments that are actually funny! There are plenty of other places to look if you are looking for a synopsis of the movie, including the standard DVD page, so I'll leave it to them to tell you about the movie if you don't already know it.My review here will be about the HD transfer itself. Overall, I was really impressed! It's a definite jump from the standard DVD, even upconverted. I might even go so far as to say that some selected scenes look incredible. Most of the scenes in Sneakers are dialogue, and a lot of people in them, and I noticed that the clarity of people's faces and eyes was great. The shots of the buildings, and the Scrabble tiles being rearranged I thought were great. For the most part though, the PQ is good, but certainly not demo material.There is definitely some grain noticable, but I was happy to find it wasn't distracting. Even in some of the darker scenes where I expected some heavy grain, the grain was only noticable, not obtrusive. The sound is also excellent. I don't know if it is better than the S-DVD, but I had no complaints with the 5.1 soundtrack. Sure I would have loved me some lossless audio, but I didn't expect it and it isn't really a big deal to me that it isn't there.I have only 2 complaints about this disc. First, I wish Universal had cleaned it up a bit better. There were a fair amount of "flecks" floating through the picture throughout. Of course, once I stopped focusing on the picture and enjoyed my movie, I didn't notice them except for a few brief moments, but they are definitely there. Is it hard to clean the master? I was a bit disappointed in that area, as most films in HD are extremely clean, with flecks only occasionally. These were fairly constant. My second complaint is extremely minor and more personal, but I wish there were some Spanish subtitles.Overall, I am very happy with this disc, and would definitely recommend the purchase to anyone who enjoyed the movie. It's a definite improvement from the S-DVD. It's certainly not a movie I'd pop in to show off my TV for friends, but then I never expected that. The only thing that I wish had been done differently would have been for a cleaner transfer, removing some of the larger and more noticable flecks.Bottom line? If you like this movie, this is a must have. It is an excellent step up from the standard DVD.

Awesome remastered version of this movie. Nice job Kino.

That first time I used my credit card to buy something online, I did so with quite a bit of trepidation, as I had concerns about how easily some hacker type could steal my card number and rack up my debt...since then I've realized many sites do utilize some sort of protection against that kind of thing, but still, the thought of vulnerabilities lingers in my mind...and movies like Sneakers (1992) certainly don't help to quell those concerns...written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams), the film stars Robert Redford (Three Days of the Condor) and Sidney Poitier (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). Also appearing is David Strathairn (Dolores Claiborne), Dan Aykroyd (Grosse Pointe Blank), the late River Phoenix (My Own Private Idaho), Mary McDonnell (Independence Day), and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi).In the film, Martin Bishop (Redford) and his colleagues operate a security company who other businesses hire to break into their companies, exposing where their security may be lacking. Each member of the small team has their own, unique background (many involving past criminal activities), but after the group is approached (blackmailed) by a gooberment agency with a proposition to recover a mysterious device (it involves the use of computers and cryptography), it's discovered that Bishop has the most to lose if they don't accept the job. The group manages the acquisition easy enough, but soon find themselves in a heap of trouble as the device turns out to be something of extreme value, a device many would kill to possess. As the web of conspiracy and deceit grows, as does the level of danger (various individuals wind up getting killed), the group must use all their abilities to outwit those intent on stealing the device for themselves, using it for their own, nefarious purposes, and seeing Martin and his co-workers in jail, or even dead.Sneakers is a deceptive film. I've seen it a few times, the first time I saw it, it appeared to be a light movie (I've read that the makers of the film injected a modest amount of profanity into the script to avoid a `G' rating, for fears the movie would have been perceived as a film for children) with a few, gaping plot holes, but subsequent viewings (for me, at least), reveal it to be a very rich, complex, intelligent, enjoyable thriller with an excellent cast and a tight storyline with little or no mistakes, and the plot holes I originally perceived actually dealt with, many times in very subtle ways, hence the need for repeat viewings (it's important to pay attention to many of the little details provided throughout). Redford and Poitier are the strongest cast members in the film, but they don't necessarily come off that way, as they seem to understand the importance of their parts within the whole of the film, instilling a subtleness within their performances, allowing for the focus to be on the story rather on themselves. This seems to be an obvious sign of their experience, and I found myself appreciating this, as often starring actors tend to be full of themselves, and their efforts on screen show it...originally it seemed to me that the character development was a bit light, but I've since come to feel we're given just exactly what's needed for the story, and anymore would have bordered on the extraneous and unnecessary. Also, it's nice to see a film where Dan Aykroyd plays a relatively minor part, doing what he's told, having nothing to do with the writing or directing (he not only wrote but directed the one of the worst films I've ever seen in 1991's Nothing But Trouble). Also, I usually tend to like women with the longer hair, but I thought Mary McDonnell, with her short hair and all, looked very attractive and added a wonderful, feminine element to this nearly all male cast with her role as Liz, a former lover of Bishop, now assisting the group seemingly out of appreciation of Bishop's past. Director Robinson keeps the pacing tight, and uses the talent within the film well (I supposed this is helped by the fact he also wrote the screenplay, so he has an intimate understanding of the visuals he wants to present in accordance with the story). The McGuffin (a term invented by Alfred Hitchcock to describe the element of the film the plot centers on...he would often present, but rarely elaborate on it, as its' specifics were never important, in his mind, only its' use in providing focus for the story and progressing the plot) seems a bit farfetched, but the smart story and the talented performances do well in creating a level of believability that got through this aspect. Another important feature of the film is the musical score, provided by legendary and prolific composer James Horner (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Aliens). Usually I neglect mentioning the music within a film unless it's either really bad or really good (the latter being the case here). I wonder how many people are aware that he started out composing for low budget producer Roger Corman, working on films like Battle Beyond the Stars and Humanoids From the Deep, both released 1980. A couple of minor appearances worth looking for are Donal Logue (Blade, The Tao of Steve), James Earl Jones (Clear and Present Danger), and Timothy Busfield (Revenge of the Nerds). Favorite line from the film? When Bishop is talking to the NSA guys and responds, "I could have been in the NSA, but they found out my parents were married."The widescreen anamorphic picture (1.85:1) looks reasonably fair, and the Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 tracks (available in English, French, and Spanish) sound decent. Special features include an original theatrical trailer for the film, subtitles, informative production notes, background and filmographies of some of the cast and crew, a `making of' featurette, and commentary track by the director. All in all a decent release of a really good film.Cookieman108

Great show, a bit older but fun to watch

There is one outstanding quote from the movie that says it all. “Information is everything”. Those who control information, control the world. Even though this movie was made in 1992 it certainly fits what is happening in our day and age. There is a certain ruthlessness that is used to try to shut out any information that does not fit the narrative. The struggle, as in the movie, is who gets that power. It’s a good movie, it’s a good cast and I enjoyed watching it.

No More Secrets!!! Loved this movie and the amazing cast; Redford, Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, Dan Akroyd, Ben Kingsley, David Strathairn, and of course the wonderful Mary McDonnell.