| | | Log On. Hack In. Go Anywhere. Steal Everything.
Features: HD DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Use a computer, go to jail. The terms of Stanley Jobson's parole are clear. Yet a $10-million payday awaits the superhacker if he takes on a job masterminded by a charismatic covert agent - the daring electronic theft of a government slush fund.John Travolta is the mastermind, Hugh Jackman is the hacker and Halle Berry and Don Cheadle co-star in this volatile high-tech thriller directed by Dominic Sena (Gone in 60 Seconds) and produced by Joel Silver (The Matrix) and Jonathan D. Krane (Face/Off). Log on, tap in, kick back for cyber-edge action and suspense. Your password for excitement is Swordfish.
"...a relentless action flick that looks great and moves with more grace and speed than seems possible." Chris Kaltenbach, Baltimore Sun
"The liveliest and most engaging time killer to come out of Hollywood in a long while." Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
"...skillfully mounted and fitfully intriguing..." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Editor's Note
Star John Travolta revisits the grinning villain territory he explored in BROKEN ARROW and FACE/OFF with this stylish, supercharged techno-thriller. He plays Gabriel, a charismatic, fast-living mystery man who, with help from his right-hand woman, Ginger (Halle Berry), recruits ex-con and former master hacker Stan (Hugh Jackman) to aid in a plan to steal billions from a secret government bank account. Stan reluctantly agrees to help in order to finance the legal battle for custody of his young daughter (Camryn Grimes). Meanwhile an FBI computer crimes specialist (Don Cheadle) is determined to find out what's about to go down, and plans to use Stan to find out. The movie amply earns its keep by cleverly zig-zagging away from audience's expectations and delivering many clever, pulse-pounding action set pieces--including an incredible opening explosion, a car chase through downtown Los Angeles replete with blazing machine guns, and a spectacular airborne climax. With the help of a propulsive electronica score by DJ Paul Okenfold, director Dominic Sena (GONE IN 60 SECONDS) lays down lots of style, and Travolta is mesmerizing in his juicy role.
| Features | In Conversation: Cast/Crew Interviews | | Planet Rock Club Reel Music Video | | 2 Alternate Endings | | Audio Commentary By Director Dominic Sena | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Featurettes: HBO First Look - Swordfish & Effects In Focus - The Flying Bus | | Interactive Menus | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | This Is An HD-DVD Made For HD-DVD Format Players Which Produce Higher Quality Picture And Sound |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 5/2/2006 |
| Running Time: 99 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2001 | | Catalog ID: 80943 | | UPC: 00012569809437 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.40:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (2002) | | | Image Award, Halle Berry, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture |
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| | Professional Reviews | USA Today
"...The movie has constant mayhem and a speedy pace..." 06/08/2001 p.9EEntertainment Weekly
"...Enjoyably corrupt....[Travolta] electrifies the space around him with his mellifluous and cocky authority..." 06/15/2001 p.56 Variety
"...Mounted in breathlessly stylish fashion, with a great-looking cast....It's turbo-charged, with hyper-realistic, attenuated slo-mo action shots..." 06/04/2001 p.16-23 Sight and Sound
"...[Jackman] steals the show, much as he did in X-MEN, investing his character with a steely resolve..." 09/01/2001 p.54-5 Total Film
"...It's Jackman who tears away with most of the scenes....The man, quite simply, is a star..." 09/01/2001 p.98 Uncut
"Jackman and Cheadle are great, Travolta's sublime..." 09/01/2004 p.125 Widescreen Review
"[The film] has a slick, stylish appearance....[With] an enjoyable soundtrack." 07/01/2006 p.67 ReelViews 8 of 10
Like Die Hard and Speed before it, Swordfish is escapist entertainment that requires a significant level of suspended disbelief. While this motion picture lacks the strong scripts and easy-to-identify-with central characters of its antecedents (the aforementioned summer action flicks), its deficiencies in those areas don't detract significantly from its watchability. The screenplay, credited to Skip Woods, is silly and often preposterous, but it's not dumb. It pokes fun at itself on a fairly constant basis, although never straying so far over the line that it morphs into self-parody. Director Dominic Sena (Gone In 60 Seconds) puts things into testosterone-and-adrenaline overdrive, delivering a healthy portion of chases leavened with high-tech gadgetry and a helping of raunchy under-the-table sex and high-profile nudity. - James Berardinelli
Variety 8 of 10
John Travolta revives his "Pulp Fiction" hairdo in an attempt to recapture some of his former cool in "Swordfish," a half-absorbing, half-ridiculous techno-thriller that often goes too far in search of audience-rousing effects. Mounted in breathlessly stylish fashion, with a great-looking cast enacting a series of intriguing but deliberately ambiguous scenes, Warner Bros.' first big summer release has the feel of a solid, densely packed script ramped up into a "Matrix"/"Mission: Impossible" wannabe, with increasingly over-the-top results. Brimming with action and intent on keeping the viewer guessing as to the true nature of its principal characters, this should be a muscular if not stellar mainstream performer internationally. - Todd McCarthy
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