Sneakers (1992)
80%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: 2 nominations
There isn’t much to Sneakers plot and that’s more than made up for with the film’s breezy panache and hi-tech lingo
Sneakers is like a superhero movie, but for people who don’t want to see superheroes. It’s a caper movie throwback that’s both smart and fun, with a dream-team cast that makes it all the more enjoyable. Sure, it might lack force in either direction, but who cares when you’re having this much dumb fun with a veneer of smart fun? Plus, the technological razzledazzle is pretty cool. It’s gourmet popcorn of the highest order, and it’ll keep you persistently engrossed until the end.
Production Company(ies)
micro_scope T S Productions, Phi Group
Distributor
Universal Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Countrywide Home Loans Corporate Headquarters, Simi Valley, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for brief sexual references
Year of Release
1992
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 5m
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Language(s):English, Russian, Chinese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 9, 1992 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 18, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, David Strathairn, Timothy Busfield, Eddie Jones, directed by Phil Alden Robinson, written by Phil Alden Robinson, Lawrence Lasker, Walter F Parkes, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Odie Henderson, Owen Gleiberman, David Ansen, Derek Adams, Tim Robey, PG-13, Lawrence Lasker, Walter F Parkes, Lawrence Lasker, Walter F Parkes, Lawrence Lasker, Walter F Parkes, Universal Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Stereo, Surround, computer hacker, San Francisco, National Security Agency, decoder, encryption code, rogue agents, murder, thriller, comedy, high-tech, suspense, black box, FBI, CIA, airports
Worldwide gross: $105,232,691
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $225,253,264
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 634
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 24,564,151
US/Canada gross: $51,432,691
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $110,092,989
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 685
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,031,145
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $21,471,922
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 617
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $23,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $49,232,088
Production budget ranking: 807
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $26,511,479
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $149,509,697
ROI to date (est.): 197%
ROI ranking: 632
Dan Aykroyd – Mother
Ben Kingsley – Cosmo
Mary McDonnell – Liz
River Phoenix – Carl Arbegast
Sidney Poitier – Donald Crease
Director(s)
Phil Alden Robinson
Writer(s)
Phil Alden Robinson, Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes
Producer(s)
Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (11)
Part of the pleasure afforded by such a sequence comes from the careful exposition of intricate teamwork, combined with an adroit attention to the personalities involved.
June 2, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
It’s a surprise to discover a cerebral, 25-year-old film following the blueprint for today’s endless glut of superhero movies.
August 31, 2017
Odie Henderson
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Makes up for its gaps in logic with its breezy tone and its technological razzledazzle.
March 31, 2008
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Right up to an ending designed to crack the sternest critical poker face, this is gourmet popcorn of the highest order.
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A marvellous caper-movie throwback.
April 19, 2005 | Rating: 5/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
There’s plenty to like about Sneakers. There’s just a little less than you might expect.
November 24, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Sean Collier
Box Office Prophets
…persistently (and increasingly) engrossing…
April 3, 2020 | Rating: 4/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
This is basically dumb fun with a veneer of smart fun… Fast-paced, utterly enjoyable.
September 6, 2018
Eve Tushnet
Patheos
The movie would probably swing along fine as an out-and-out spoof or a serious thriller, but instead it lacks force in either direction.
July 25, 2018
Vanessa Letts
The Spectator
Despite its dream-team cast, the loosely laced “Sneakers” stumbles badly as both a comedy and as thriller.
April 17, 2018
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
A smart, smooth technological thriller.
January 1, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Common Sense Media Editors
Common Sense Media…
Plot
Martin Bishop is the head of a group of experts who specialize in testing security systems. When he is blackmailed by government agents into stealing a top secret black box, the team find themselves embroiled in a game of danger and intrigue. After they recover the box, they discover that it has the capability to decode all existing encryption systems around the world, and that the agents who hired them didn’t work for the government after all.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The star-studded cast of Sneakers includes Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, and Sidney Poitier.
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