Hackers

As a teenager who once sparked a major hacking scandal, Dade Murphy is banned from computers and trying to keep a low profile. He reconnects with a tight-knit crew of young hackers led by the confident and sharp Kate Libby. When an apparently malicious intrusion threatens to implode a corporate giant, the group uncovers evidence of a larger digital conspiracy. With the Secret Service closing in and a shadowy mastermind pulling strings, they rely on clever coding, social engineering, and quick thinking to gather proof and clear their names, all while racing against time and surveillance.

Directed by Iain Softley and written by Rafael Moreu, Hackers premiered in 1995 and stars Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie alongside Matthew Lillard and Jesse Bradford. The film mixes cyberpunk visuals with 90s club culture, and it was shot to emphasize style as much as action.

On release it didn’t do strong box office business, but it found a bigger audience on home video and through cable broadcasts. Over the years that afterlife helped turn it into a cult favorite among tech-savvy viewers and 90s aficionados.

Despite mixed reviews, the film left a visible mark on pop culture. Its neon-flecked computer sequences, fashion choices like tinted goggles and chunky accessories, and energetic editing helped define a certain cinematic idea of hacker culture. The line "hack the planet" became shorthand in some circles for digital rebellion, and the movie keeps showing up in retrospectives about 90s tech aesthetics.

Critics were split between enjoying the film’s style and pointing out its technical implausibilities, and audiences have generally been kinder, reflected in its steady fanbase and an average user rating around 6.4 out of 10. Major themes include youth subculture versus corporate power, questions of identity under online aliases, and the thrill of outsmarting systems with creativity rather than brute force.