6 of 10
Cinematography by John Lindley
Robert Redford
Sidney Poitier
David Strathairn
Dan Aykroyd
River Phoenix
Ben Kingsley
James Earl Jones
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| Sneakers 6 of 10 |
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| Directed by Phil Alden Robinson Cinematography by John Lindley Robert Redford Sidney Poitier David Strathairn Dan Aykroyd River Phoenix Ben Kingsley James Earl Jones |
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| I really love heist movies, especially ones with a fine collection of actors. And this film fits right into that category. It knows exactly what it is and where it's going, and has real fun getting there. It has a very solid ensemble cast, with especially fine performances turned in by Poitier, who provides the perfect foil to Redford, and Kingsley, who is spot-on as the eccentric yet brilliant villain. And Strathairn plays a great character: Erwin 'Whistler' Emory, a blind electronics and gadgets expert, (sort of reminds one of Q), who is more effective with his hands and ears than anyone else is with their eyes. The only down-sides, in my mind, are pretty minor. Firstly, there shouldn't have even been a girl. No romantic interest for Redford is a totally radical idea, I know. But still, Mary McDonnell's role is pretty much a throw-away, amongst a film-full of solid characters. Also, James Earl Jones needs to be used more. (Of course, that's true for pretty much all of his movie.) The thing that primarily detracts from the overall effectiveness of the film, however, is the complete predictability of the movie's events. There is really nothing new here. This story had been done a hundred time. But that's OK, because it hasn't been done this well anywhere near a hundred times. A perfect example of the fact that films don't need to be original to be fun; just have a blast watching it. | ||||||