Swordfish

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Swordfish

R

2001

1h 39m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

27%

Tomatometer

139 Reviews

59%

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100,000+ Ratings

Behind the world's most sophisticated security systems, billions of illegal government funds lie. Gabriel Shear plans to finance his own brand of ruthless patriotism if he can break into this virtual Fort Knox. He needs parolee Stanley Jobson, the only man capable of penetrating the layers of firewalls and encrypted passwords. Now Shear and his partner Ginger use every lure, including the promise to reunite Jobson with his daughter, to obtain the greatest computer hack ever.

Critics Consensus

Swordfish is big on explosions, but critics dislike how it skimps on plot and logic. Also, the sight of a person typing at a computer just isn't that interesting.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/28/2010

3/5

Cool explosions are the best thing here.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

11/01/2007

It's a good thing the action is noisily distracting, because you don't want any down-time in which to ponder the plausibility, or the sense, of anything that is happening.

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Peter Rainer

New York Magazine/Vulture

01/22/2002

Another in a long line of middling movies for Travolta.

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

Jun 10

As someone who continues to exult in the fun of "Gone in 60 Seconds," it pains me to say that "Swordfish" doesn’t have the same charm today as it did then.

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Katie Hogan

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

Jun 9

3/5

...the action sequences, even the hacking conversations all make for a relatively fun film, for its time.

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Steve Warren

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

05/07/2023

2.5/4

Director Dominic Sena, moving up from Gone in Sixty Seconds, puts everything you're supposed to see and hear on the screen and makes you believe enough of it while it's happening that you won't have serious vague moments until you leave the theater.

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Blake- N

@PBSAniDom Apr 13

Swordfish (2001 film) is a less good to outright awful action thriller that wastes a strong cast on a messy and over-stylized story. The film tries to present itself as a slick, high-tech heist movie, but it ends up feeling more like style over substance with very little real payoff. John Travolta plays an over-the-top antagonist, but the performance feels more cartoonish than threatening. Hugh Jackman is given a potentially interesting role, yet his character is pushed through a plot that doesn’t make much sense or build real tension. Even Halle Berry, despite her presence, can’t elevate the weak writing and uneven pacing. The film relies heavily on flashy visuals and shock value instead of a coherent or engaging narrative. The hacking and tech elements feel dated and unrealistic, even for its time, which makes it harder to stay invested. Overall, it’s a disappointing action film with a weak story and style that overwhelms substance. I’d rate it a 2/10.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Feb 9

Filme bacaninha, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são bacaninhas, a história é mais ou menos, o elenco é bacaninha, e metade do elenco ajudou a melhorar o filme, os personagens são bacaninhas, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes.

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown Oct 3

With all these actors, swordfish should be better. Watching Jackman type furiously on a computer is really dumb.

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Daniel N

@RT24087858 Aug 30

Brilliant movie. Arguably one of John Travolta's best performances.

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Ken D

@KDLondon May 15

Swordfish is a fun film and to be taken too seriously. However, John Travolta and Halle Berry are top class, while Hugh Jackman clearly shows he can’t do character acting which is a spoiler when he is in a scene. In the film Gabriel talks about an alternative ending to one or two films he had seen. And I agree with such sentiment because Stanley is in fact a felon, an accomplice to murder and a murderer himself so he should have been arrested a sent to jail.

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Christopher J

@RT44570270 12/28/2024

ok movie but it is disappointing and confusing

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Dominic Sena

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Synopsis

Behind the world's most sophisticated security systems, billions of illegal government funds lie. Gabriel Shear plans to finance his own brand of ruthless patriotism if he can break into this virtual Fort Knox. He needs parolee Stanley Jobson, the only man capable of penetrating the layers of firewalls and encrypted passwords. Now Shear and his partner Ginger use every lure, including the promise to reunite Jobson with his daughter, to obtain the greatest computer hack ever.

Director: Dominic Sena
Producer: Joel Silver, Jonathan D. Krane
Screenwriter: Skip Woods
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Village Roadshow Prod., Silver Pictures, Jonathan Krane Group, Warner Brothers
Rating: R (Some Nudity|Language|Some Sexuality|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 8, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 4, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $69.8M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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