A Guide to Computer Hacker/Hacking Movies

This is not a complete list of every hacker movie out there, but it includes many computer hacking classics and the most popular ones.

Electric Dreams

This is a must-see old 80's movie! It's actually a love story that goes something like this - a nerdy guy who knows nothing about computers buys himself a home computer. Within days he's hacking into his boss's computer and downloads everything from the massive system in just a few seconds on his speedy acoustic coupler modem. The download overloads his computer so he does what any ordinary man would do - he dumps a glass of champaigne into the keyboard.

So as you probably guessed, the computer isn't fried - instead it comes to life, starts talking to the nerdy guy and becomes jealous of his girlfriend. In no time, the movie goes into a plot similar to The Net where the computer is making the nerdy guy's life hell by calling the police on him, canceling his credit cards and locking him into his apartment.

War Games

What self-respecting hacker hasn't seen this movie?? Meet David Lightman, your ordinary average high school hacker. Searching for a company that makes computer games, David sets up a wardialer and accidentally finds a military computer which he mistakes for a new game. Of course this nearly causes World War III and only David Lightman can save the world by escaping from a military holding cell, tracking down the man who designed the military system and bringing him back to Norad to talk sense into everyone.

Sneakers

Martin Bishop is the head of a group of experts who specialise in testing security systems. When he is blackmailed by Government agents into stealing a top secret black box, the team find themselves embroiled in a game of danger and intrigue. After they recover the box, they discover that it has the capability to decode all existing encryption systems around the world, and that the agents who hired them didn't work for the Government after all...

Hackers

I originally intended to leave this movie off of my hacker movies list. But then I thought it would be best to warn everyone to stay far far away from it. I hate this movie and it disgusts me to no end. The acting is terrible and the plot is terrible. I got a few chuckles out of the part where they held a hacking contest to see who could do the best job at harassing a certain federal agent, but the rest of the movie was really really moronic.

There is nothing to be gained from watching this movie other than to laugh at it's stupidity. I understand that it's just a movie and that movies are fantasy and not all plots should be expected to be believable, but there's just no excuse for this rubbish! Do not walk but RUN away from this movie.

The Net

Angela Bennett is a computer expert. This young and beautiful analyst is never far from a computer and modem. The only activity she has outside of computers is visiting her mother. A friend, whom she's only spoken to over the net and phone, Dale Hessman, sent her a program with a weird glitch for her to de-bug. That night, he left to meet her and was killed in a plane crash. Angela discovers secret information on the disk she has received only hours before she leaves for vacation. Her life then turns into a nightmare, her records are erased from existence and she is given a new identity, one with a police record. She struggles to find out why this has happened and who has it in for her.

And.. That's about it for now.. Just a few of the classic hacker movies!