Hacker

I decided to watch this movie with some friends after looking for a hacker/crime thriller movie, something like Mr. Robot but a feature-length film. As a student at a programming course, I can say that the movie's portrayal of hackers is abysmal to say the least. Google-ing the term "dark web" for real? A "dark web" evil authoritarian mobster crimelord? It just looks like they didn't even try or think the audience wouldn't notice....which is what I hate most about movies: insulting the viewer's intelligence.

The beginning was the only fine part about the whole thing, at least it made me care a little about the protagonist, even if it meant getting bored 2 scenes later. The acting is pretty rough and feels plastic and cheap, but it's actually better than in movies with a higher production value. One of the most annoying parts about the whole movie is that it feels like an amateur film or some documentary about hackers you would be presented at school. Nothing is realistic, there is no sense of mystery or tension, the characters basically exist to convey the message that crime and hacking bad, you can't get rich quick etc...I can't even tell you to watch it as a so-bad-that-it's-good or drunk-with-friends movie, as the only part where we burst out laughing was when the main evil Zed guy was revealed to be a burned(?) man in a wheelchair with a fake accent. You can even see the actor controlling his laughter at some points ,it's honestly hilarious. I don't even know what happened to his face, the makeup is so horrendous it's not even complete around his ears and neck....you just can't take it seriously.

And his motivations? At the beginning he looks like he wants to overthrow the system and conduct a revolution ,but later in the film he looks more like a mobster that wants to make money through stocks and nothing else. There are several character inconsistencies as well, such as him being an extra careful and prudent know-it-all puppetmaster early on to completely risking all of his efforts by sending the money earlier to the protagonist towards the end ,without any actual reason than to advance the plot and get him arrested. Notice that I put quotation marks in the title. It wasn't by accident. This movie probably has 10% of Hollywood Hacking in it, nothing more. The closest thing it resembles is a crime / robbery thriller, although I would be insulting those genres by classifying it as such.

I could be talking waaay more about it, but honestly I just want to forget wasting my buddies time (and mine) with this movie. Long story short, stay away from it, want a true hacker show? Go with Mr. Robot. Want a good crime/robbery thriller? Go with Good Time, The Departed, Goodfellas, there are so many choices better than this steaming pile of bull.

Most Canadians speak with a distinctively American Accent, as opposed to British. Some Provinces do compare with a few Norther States of the US, but it is still a decidedly common way of speaking. Additionally, 'College' is common colloquial American for any study beyond High School, including University. The US has a diversity of dialects, North to South and East to West.

Summary: the goofs based on not sounding Canadian are in themselves goofs.

After looking for the movie Algorithm, i found another movie called Algorithm 2. i was surprised that there was a second part and set my expectations high. Later i discovered that it wasn't the second part of Algorithm but a separate movie called Hacker.

Although the big message is the same as in Algorithm, Hacker lacks on minor messages. And it lacks hacking. i think the producer has made the main point clear to me: don't mess with professionals unless u r one. u never know when and where u make a mistake and then they r after u. Playing professionals need years of experiences. If u want to run a marathon and compete with Kenyans and u r not trained then maybe u run the first kilometer and r wasted. Trying to play tennis against a pro as an amateur means not winning a single game — the odds r not with an amateur.

There is another message which is similar to the one of Algorithm but stated differently: If u want to change the world then steal enough currency and create a chaos with it because the one who owns the currency makes the rules. Although the real gangsters behind the currency system can't create new currency anymore they still have power because about ninety percent of world's population accept them as gods. They r dying out slowly and we can wait. Or we can act. But if we act then we can't use their tools because they r better on them. we have to use our own tools.

In the movie, one more point was made clear: weak men can be easily defeated by strong women. Once u start hacking something or someone, be very careful! u r being watched whether u know it or not or whether they know your intention or not. There r cameras everywhere. Every ATM has a camera and the characters in the movie didn't even cover their faces! And they were not discovered. Wasn't at least this suspicious?

The main character alex wants to use a tool that carries negative energy within — payback. Payback is continuation of violence in a violence vortex. If u want to stop violence then u don't pay back but stop it. One is only allowed to use violence while protecting themselves. In the movie, it wasn't about defense.

i don't want to spoil the ending so u can find it out on your own whether it will be left open or finite, whether they all die or not, whether they return to canonical world or go on with creating a better world.

Overall this movie is enjoyable. It is exciting and doesn't assume as much understanding of computer science than Algorithm. The story is linear and easy to follow. Characters r played well. Would i recommend it? As entertainment — yes, as a computer movie — no.

I saw this movie a few years ago. It was one of my favourites, before I became a software engineer. It's a great story and chain of events that leads to the center piece. A nice journey indeed, but this has nothing to do with hacking. I am giving it a 7 because of nostalgia. The real rating is more like a 5.9

The movie tried to portray how a life of a typical hacker would be with the usual suspects: a migrant who is rationally sleeping till a turning point in his family's life pops us which is generally related to finance. The usual suspects suddenly decides to awaken his sleeping cyborg and decides to be utilitarian just to end up in an existential circle. Also, it doesn't really reflect the mind of a hacker but rather a mind of someone who wants to get rich and regret later. Most of the hackers fight for a cause and they wouldn't back up. There are scenes in the movie that depict a hacker as being someone who rushes in his decisions and is not proactive about what would happen and does not assess the current situation on the spot in which the movie failed to give a close-to-reality snap on how a hacker react and assess a risk.