Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Flick Pick: Sneakers

Sneakers
(Universal, 1992)

Utterly superb caper dramedy film by Phil Aden Robinson. It showcases every reason why Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier are consummate actors watchable in anything, and the rest of the supporting cast in this are marvelous. Dan Aykroyd as the conspiracy-shopping Mother is a scream, David Strathairn as the blind tech genius is marvelous, Ben Kingsley does a superbly menacing villain, Mary McDonnell delights throughout, River Phoenix shows why the loss of his talent was truly tragic, Stephen Tobolowsky's role as an hyper-nerdy genius was inspired, and the build-up to James Earl Jones' appearance at the conclusion pays off like a progressive slot machine in the final scene. The plot points drop in this like pearls, each one another gift to the audience, and the score by James Horner is hauntingly beautiful, and sparkling with Branford Marsalis sax solos alone worth the ticket price. As a bonus, the entire central theme of the NSA spying on Americans proves to have been prescient beyond belief by a mere two decades.

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