Hackers (1995): Hack the Planet!
1995 • Iain Softley • 2.35:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
Directed by Iain Softley, Hackers is set in mid-1990s New York and follows a group of young computer hackers who become entangled in a corporate conspiracy after uncovering a malicious program hidden within a company’s systems. As suspicion falls on them, they navigate digital and physical spaces in an attempt to expose the truth and evade capture.
The film is famous for its hyper-stylised, ‘MTV generation’ aesthetic, prioritising style over realism (and especially technical accuracy). To visualise the abstract world of data, the hackers navigate a three-dimensional virtual world made of neon cityscapes. However, the film’s style extends beyond the computer realm to include a high-fashion, cyberpunk wardrobe and an electronic soundtrack featuring artists such as Underworld and Orbital.
Mixing elements of techno-thriller, youth film, and cyberpunk-inflected fantasy, Hackers has a unique energy fuelled by its idiosyncratic 1990s countercultural imagery, melding club culture and technological identity. It’s a cultural snapshot of the early internet imagination, representing the web as a tool of resistance against traditional institutions and a space of free expression, where joining hacking culture was the ultimate form of rebellion. Hack the Planet!!
Technical Specs:
- The Story: A group of teenage hackers navigates underground computer culture while uncovering a corporate conspiracy, turning digital rebellion and identity play into a high-energy clash with authority. Read my review of Hackers.
- Actors: Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard, Fisher Stevens, Lorraine Bracco, Wendell Pierce.
- Director: Iain Softley
- Year: 1995
- Cinematographer: Andrzej Sekuła
- Origin: American Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Genre: Crime & Mystery
