Episode 70 - Sneakers

In 1992, the director of "Field of Dreams," Phil Alden Robinson, made a film called "Sneakers" with a far-fetched plot about an unconstitutional secret NSA domestic surveillance system designed solely for the purpose of spying on unsuspecting American citizens. It's a relief that nothing like that could ever happen in real life. Robert Redford plays a wisecracking cool guy with a secret past who leads a ragtag bunch of misfits who specialize in breaking into seemingly impenetrable buildings. Sidney Poitier plays a hot-tempered former CIA agent who is hellbent on scoring an all-expense paid vacation to Tahiti. Dan Aykroyd plays himself, a raving mad conspiracy theorist who somehow manages to be likable despite his unsettling eccentricities. David Strathairn (however you pronounce his name) plays a blind hacker with superhuman hearing and Holmesian powers of deduction. And, River Phoenix is in this movie behaving oddly. There's also a corny sub-plot where Mary McDonnell plays Robert Redford's ex-girlfriend who he's attempting to reconcile with while simultaneously using her as a pawn to execute his perilous caper. And last but not least, Sir Ben Kingsley plays a meek computer genius who gets hired by the mafia as their accountant while he's in prison. As you would expect, he manages to rise through the ranks of the mob and manages to become their Chief Technology Officer and becomes evil along the way. Join us as we try to figure out if River Phoenix was ever a good actor, discuss which famous actor in this used to be a clown, and try to unravel this labyrinth of a plot with more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Tell us what you think by chatting with us (@filmsnuff) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or by shooting us an email over at [email protected]. This episode is sponsored by the Squirty Potty. Visit our website at https://www.filmsnuff.com.