Sneakers

Directed by Phil Alden Robinson, Sneakers follows a team of altruistic security experts, led by Robert Redford’s Martin Bishop, as they find themselves in hot water after stealing a dangerous code-breaking device. It’s a fairly commonplace set-up that’s employed to persistently (and increasingly) engrossing effect by Robinson, as the filmmaker, working from a script written with Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes, does an absolutely superlative job of establishing the various protagonists and it’s clear, certainly, that this vibe is enhanced by the note-perfect work of the movie’s cast (which includes Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, Sidney Poitier, and River Phoenix). There’s little doubt, as well, that the picture benefits substantially from an ongoing emphasis on striking, spellbinding sequences (eg Martin and his team determine the location of an enemy’s offices by recalling sounds from a car trunk-based journey), while the movie’s tense and exciting finale ensures that the whole thing ends on as positive a note as one could envision. The end result is a minor cinematic classic that’s absolutely brimming with appealing, irresistible attributes, with Sneakers‘ overall success due in no small part to the cast’s stellar, almost iconic work throughout.

**** out of ****