Swordfish (Wide Screen) > Reviews > Flash - Bang - And A Very Big Wallop

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Outstanding
Soundtrack	Good

Advantages:	See text of opinion
Disadvantages:	See text of opinion

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

~ ~ Okay. I have to own up right at the start to being a big fan of John Travolta, especially when he’s playing “bad guys”, which he does to perfection in this latest offering from Director Dominic Sena, who was also responsible for Nicholas Cage’s last action picture, “Gone In 60 Seconds”.
I used to hate Travolta when he was prancing his stuff on the dance floor in the 1970’s, in films like “Grease” and “Saturday Night Fever”. (although I’ve always had a soft spot for the Bee Jees)
But even then he made an impression, and I have to own up to going out and buying an off-white suit, in a fruitless attempt to emulate his success with all the ladies at the discotheque. (Maybe this is why I hated him so much?)
The suit has long since been consigned to the nearest Oxfam shop, and my dislike for Travolta disappeared into the mist when I watched him in more recent films like “Pulp Fiction” and “Face Off”. In fact, I got “Pulp Fiction” out on DVD again after being inspired by watching “Swordfish”. (and reading a good review at dooyoo!)

~ ~ Swordfish has a very unusual opening sequence.
We see Travolta’s character, Gabriel Shear, sitting drinking coffee and waxing lyrical about the shortcomings of Hollywood films.
"You know, the problem with Hollywood is that they make sh*t," he informs us, as he gives his critique of the old 1970’s movie, "Dog Day Afternoon".
In fact, I originally thought I’d pressed the wrong button on the DVD’s remote control, and instead of going to the main feature, I was watching some of the added extras.
But just as I was about to press the button to return to the main menu, I was suddenly jolted wide awake when it is revealed that he is actually in the midst of an audacious bank heist and hostage scenario in downtown Los Angeles.
He has his hostages wired up to plastic explosive and lead ball bearings, and when the authorities refuse to instantly meet his demands, he executes one of them in dramatic fashion, taking out innumerable good guys and almost an entire city block in the process.
This adrenalin packed opening sequence sets the pace for the whole of the rest of the movie, which held me spell bound and glued to the screen from start to finish.

~ ~ The movie then flashes back to a few days previously, to fill us in on the background to what we have just witnessed.
Gabriel Shear is an ex CIA/Special Forces operative, who has got totally disillusioned with always seeing the evil doers getting away with their terrorist crimes, because of the authorities reluctance to fight fire with fire.
So he comes up with an ingenious plot to relieve the banks of countless billions of dollars that are lying around in old CIA slush accounts. But nothing so simple as breaking into a bank vault and stealing the dollars for the ingenious Mr. Shear. Instead, he intends to break into the bank’s highly encrypted computer records, and transfer the said funds into his own offshore and highly secret accounts.
His intention is to use this illicitly gained fortune to combat terrorism in his own ruthless fashion.

~ ~ Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the computer skills to do the job himself, and therefore has to recruit outside assistance.
There are only two hackers on the face of the planet who would be able to successfully hack their way into the bank’s accounts, and one has just been captured by the FBI while trying to enter the USA on a false passport.
So enter stage left the delectable and totally gorgeous Ginger (Halle Berry), Shear’s right hand woman, who is dispatched forthwith to convince the “world’s most dangerous hacker”, Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) to lend his considerable IT skill to the forthcoming enterprise.
He has just been released from prison, and is in the midst of a very messy break-up with his ex-wife, and has been legally barred from access to his only daughter by the courts.
Given this background, he is naturally enough fairly reluctant to get himself involved, but after Ginger throws him a packet containing $100,000 as an initial inducement, he agrees to an “interview” with Shears for the position.
This interview consists of being given 60 seconds to break into the FBI’s mainframe computer, while at the same time having a loaded pistol held to his head, and having oral sex performed on him by one of Shear’s beautiful lady friends. Off course, Stanley pulls off this impossible feat. (or the film would have ended right there!)
I might add for the ladies who may watch this film that actor Hugh Jackman who plays Stanley is every bit as much candy for their eyes as Ms. Berry is for the gentlemen viewers, although Jackman doesn’t show us the “Full Monty” as does Halle Berry, who was reputedly paid an extra $1,000,000 for agreeing to “flash her titties” for the first time in one very short sunbathing scene. (In my opinion, there is a far sexier scene where Jackman surprises her in a bedroom, and where she is clad only in bra and panties!)

~ ~ The FBI are on the scene also, and are following around the unfortunate Stanley, and trying to get him to spill the beans on his elusive employer. Another little sub-plot involves a US Senator who is backing Shears, and who eventually decides he has got out of control, despatching a hit squad of ex-Navy Seals to rid him of his embarrassing problem.
This is the cue for yet another action-packed sequence, when the Seals try to assassinate Shears while Stanley is driving him around town in his expensive Porsche. Flash, bang, and very big wallop adequately describes this scene!
Yet another interesting scene is where Stanley is attempting to hack his way into the bank’s computers to access the necessary codes to use during the robbery itself on the bank’s mainframe computer. In case you ever wondered what it takes to be a world-class hacker of this stature, Swordfish describes it for you very graphically. At least a dozen computer monitors are required, along with endless and copious amounts of wine and strong espresso coffee. Stanley bounces around like a demented rock star, juggling his various 3D and text images, and playing with his keyboards like a man possessed. Mind you, anyone would be wired to the moon after that amount of espresso and wine!!

~ ~ Other actors in the film include none other than Britain’s very own Vinnie Jones, of “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” fame. He plays a hard man mercenary employed to do Shear’s dirty work, but it must be said that he doesn’t get more than a couple of lines of actual dialogue throughout the whole movie. But what he does, he does well, and with his usual amount of menace and aggression. (I have a soft spot for Vinnie!)

~ ~ What I’m not going to reveal here is the film’s totally jaw-dropping finale, when the gang finally emerge from the bank after the heist, and attempt to make good their escape, with the forces of law and order in hot pursuit. It involves a bus full of hostages, and a Sikorski helicopter. To find out just what this involves you’re going to have to rent the DVD or video, but I guarantee you that you wont watch more exciting or dramatic action footage in any other film this year.

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DVD EXTRAS

~ ~ I watched this movie on my brand new DVD player, and the DVD gives you a few extras that you wouldn’t normally get with a VHS tape.
All the usual scene selection features are included.
There are a couple of alternate endings that didn’t make it into the film itself, both of which I found interesting, and one which I actually preferred to the actual one used. (see if you can guess which?)
You also get a couple of behind the scenes type documentaries, one which interviews the stars themselves, and the other which shows you how they achieved some of the incredible special effects and stunts used in the movie.
There’s a commentary from the Director, which some dedicated film buffs might find interesting, but which bored the pants off me.
And finally, there are a couple of web links included, one which takes you to a fairly realistic computer hacking game. Again, I didn’t really explore this option, as I wouldn’t have sufficient interest. But it’s there if this is your particular bag.

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Writer: Skip Woods

Director: Dominic Sena

Producers: Joel Silver, Jonathan Krane, Paul Winze

Actors:
John Travolta (Gabriel Shear)
Hugh Jackman (Stanley Jobson)
Halle Berry (Ginger)
Don Cheadle (FBI Agent Roberts)
Sam Shepard (Senator Reisman)
Vinnie Jones (Marco)
Drea de Matteo (Melissa)
Rudolf Martin (Axel Torvalds)
Zach Grenier (Assistant Director Joy)
Camryn Grimes (Holly Jobson)
Angelo Pagan (Torres)
Chic Daniel (SWAT Leader)
Carmen Argenziano (FBI Agent)
Kirk B.R. Woller (Torvald’s Lawyer)
Tim DeKay (FBI Agent)

Genre:Action
Year of Release: 2001
Classification:15
Cost: £15.99 at Amazon

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Footnote
You ladies can thank "PhilRoots" for the tantalising picture of Hugh Jackman at the top of the Category. If I'd had my choice, it would have been one of the other stars, and NOT John Travolta. (heh, heh)