4 Films That Make Hacking Cooler Than it Actually Is

Hacking Movies

Being a computer hacker might seem like a really cool thing. For a start, you know your way around a keyboard like Mozart on a piano. The world is your own personal playground. No information is closed off to you. The possibilities are endless.



At least, that’s what Hollywood seems to think.

The reality is much less interesting. And of course, much more illegal. Examples can be found here on just why it doesn’t pay to hack.

But the beauty of cinema is that it looks really cool. Here are 4 films that make hacking seem like a viable career alternative…

Die Hard 4
Bruce Willis has taken on everyone you can think of. Now it’s the cybercriminals turn to face the music. Hacking into America’s infrastructure, this film highlights just how a country can be brought to a standstill using a computer terminal a little ingenuity.

Hacker line: “It's not a system, it's a country!”

Swordfish
Hugh Jackman is offered a ludicrous amount of money to hack into a government system. It might seem like a really great way to go, but it does come with drawbacks. Namely, said government will be after you, meaning you probably won’t be able to stay in one place for very long. The internet might be a place you can get lost in, but your physical self can still pick up the tab.

Hacker line: “Misdirection. What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.”

Sneakers
An all-star cast are professional hackers, paid by companies to break into their systems so they can prevent people from breaking into their systems. Actually, this seems like a sensible career option. That is, until, you find something that people don’t want you to find out. Then it’s nothing but trouble.

Hacker line: “The world isn't run by weapons anymore, or energy, or money. It's run by little ones and zeroes, little bits of data. It's all just electrons. “

Hackers
Possibly the film that makes hacking appear to be the coolest thing you could ever do. When hackers are framed for a crime they didn’t commit by a master hacker, a group of teenagers are forced to work together and repair the damage done. With the stunning visuals, it makes hacking look colourful and surreal. Instead of the mundane reality of a screen being filled with reams of code.