Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Rogue agent Gabriel Shear is determined to get his mitts on $9 billion stashed in a secret Drug Enforcement Administration account. He wants the cash to fight terrorism, but lacks the computer skills necessary to hack into the government mainframe. Enter Stanley Jobson, a n'er-do-well encryption expert who can log into anything.
Swordfish is a slick but hollow early-2000s action thriller that prioritizes style over substance. The plot is convoluted and relies on misdirection that feels more like contrivance than clever writing, with a twist ending that lands with a thud rather than a satisfying payoff. John Travolta chews scenery with gusto and Jackman is a capable lead, keeping the acting from being a total wash, but the performances are ultimately in service of a script that doesn't deserve them. Cinematography has some flashy moments — the bullet-time opening bank explosion being the most memorable — but it's peak music-video aesthetic: style without purpose. The hacker premise was already well-worn territory post-Hackers and The Matrix, and the film adds little new to the genre beyond bigger explosions. The ending tries for a shocking reveal but feels unearned and tonally jarring.