I decided to watch this movie with some friends after looking for a hacker/crime thriller movie, something like Mr. Robot but a feature-length film. As a student at a programming course, I can say that the movie's portrayal of hackers is abysmal to say the least. Google-ing the term "dark web" for real? A "dark web" evil authoritarian mobster crimelord? It just looks like they didn't even try or think the audience wouldn't notice....which is what I hate most about movies: insulting the viewer's intelligence.
The beginning was the only fine part about the whole thing, at least it made me care a little about the protagonist, even if it meant getting bored 2 scenes later. The acting is pretty rough and feels plastic and cheap, but it's actually better than in movies with a higher production value. One of the most annoying parts about the whole movie is that it feels like an amateur film or some documentary about hackers you would be presented at school. Nothing is realistic, there is no sense of mystery or tension, the characters basically exist to convey the message that crime and hacking bad, you can't get rich quick etc...I can't even tell you to watch it as a so-bad-that-it's-good or drunk-with-friends movie, as the only part where we burst out laughing was when the main evil Zed guy was revealed to be a burned(?) man in a wheelchair with a fake accent. You can even see the actor controlling his laughter at some points ,it's honestly hilarious. I don't even know what happened to his face, the makeup is so horrendous it's not even complete around his ears and neck....you just can't take it seriously.
And his motivations? At the beginning he looks like he wants to overthrow the system and conduct a revolution ,but later in the film he looks more like a mobster that wants to make money through stocks and nothing else. There are several character inconsistencies as well, such as him being an extra careful and prudent know-it-all puppetmaster early on to completely risking all of his efforts by sending the money earlier to the protagonist towards the end ,without any actual reason than to advance the plot and get him arrested. Notice that I put quotation marks in the title. It wasn't by accident. This movie probably has 10% of Hollywood Hacking in it, nothing more. The closest thing it resembles is a crime / robbery thriller, although I would be insulting those genres by classifying it as such.
I could be talking waaay more about it, but honestly I just want to forget wasting my buddies time (and mine) with this movie. Long story short, stay away from it, want a true hacker show? Go with Mr. Robot. Want a good crime/robbery thriller? Go with Good Time, The Departed, Goodfellas, there are so many choices better than this steaming pile of bull.
The beginning was the only fine part about the whole thing, at least it made me care a little about the protagonist, even if it meant getting bored 2 scenes later. The acting is pretty rough and feels plastic and cheap, but it's actually better than in movies with a higher production value. One of the most annoying parts about the whole movie is that it feels like an amateur film or some documentary about hackers you would be presented at school. Nothing is realistic, there is no sense of mystery or tension, the characters basically exist to convey the message that crime and hacking bad, you can't get rich quick etc...I can't even tell you to watch it as a so-bad-that-it's-good or drunk-with-friends movie, as the only part where we burst out laughing was when the main evil Zed guy was revealed to be a burned(?) man in a wheelchair with a fake accent. You can even see the actor controlling his laughter at some points ,it's honestly hilarious. I don't even know what happened to his face, the makeup is so horrendous it's not even complete around his ears and neck....you just can't take it seriously.
And his motivations? At the beginning he looks like he wants to overthrow the system and conduct a revolution ,but later in the film he looks more like a mobster that wants to make money through stocks and nothing else. There are several character inconsistencies as well, such as him being an extra careful and prudent know-it-all puppetmaster early on to completely risking all of his efforts by sending the money earlier to the protagonist towards the end ,without any actual reason than to advance the plot and get him arrested. Notice that I put quotation marks in the title. It wasn't by accident. This movie probably has 10% of Hollywood Hacking in it, nothing more. The closest thing it resembles is a crime / robbery thriller, although I would be insulting those genres by classifying it as such.
I could be talking waaay more about it, but honestly I just want to forget wasting my buddies time (and mine) with this movie. Long story short, stay away from it, want a true hacker show? Go with Mr. Robot. Want a good crime/robbery thriller? Go with Good Time, The Departed, Goodfellas, there are so many choices better than this steaming pile of bull.