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The Rewatchables ·

Sneakers

year 1992decade 90sdirector Phil Alden Robinsongenre Comedygenre Crime
host Bill Simmonshost Kyle Brandthost Joanna Robinsonproducer Craig Horlbeck
All 33 categories

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award · 1:20:47

Redford’s last great starring film

Joanna Robinson: Calls Sneakers Redford’s best 1990s film and his last great acting movie, excluding Marvel appearances.

Kyle Brandt: Rates Bish’s slow walk across the sensor-protected room above any Ethan Hunt stunt for its sustained concentration.

The film

Sneakers (1992)

Directed by Phil Alden Robinson · Comedy

126 minutes

IMDb Find on JustWatch Find on Rotten Tomatoes
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Robert Redford Martin Bishop / Martin Brice
Dan Aykroyd Darren "Mother" Roskow
Ben Kingsley Cosmo
Mary McDonnell Liz Ogilvy
River Phoenix Carl Arbogast
Sidney Poitier Donald Crease
David Strathairn Irwin "Whistler" Emery
Timothy Busfield NSA Agent Dick Gordon
George Hearn Gregor Ivanovich
Eddie Jones NSA Agent Buddy Wallace
Stephen Tobolowsky Werner Brandes
Donal Logue Dr. Gunter Janek
Lee Garlington Dr. Elena Rhyzkov
James Earl Jones NSA Director Bernard Abbott

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

1:14:18

Recasting Couch

William Hurt, Jon Voight, and Willem Dafoe as Cosmo; Kevin Costner as Marty.

William Hurt, Jon Voight, and Willem Dafoe as Cosmo; Kevin Costner as Marty.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:18Read transcript
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1:16:24

Casting What-Ifs

Mary Steenburgen reportedly considered for Liz; the panel discounts the significance.

Mary Steenburgen reportedly considered for Liz; the panel discounts the significance.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:24Read transcript
  • The director reportedly resisted casting the older Redford, but his involvement then attracted the ensemble. — Bill Simmons
  • Mary Steenburgen is reported as considered for Liz, though the panel questions how meaningful that consideration was. — Bill Simmons
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1:30:10

Half-Assed Internet Research

The intelligence-agency prank, phone-phreak inspirations, and the mathematical consultant.

The intelligence-agency prank, phone-phreak inspirations, and the mathematical consultant.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:30:10Read transcript
  • The director was reportedly fooled by a prank claiming naval intelligence wanted script changes. — Bill Simmons
  • Phone phreakers and Apple’s blue-box origins are discussed as context for the characters. — Joanna Robinson
  • The panel reports that mathematician Len Adleman supplied authentic lecture material and was persuaded by the chance for his wife to meet Redford. — Joanna Robinson
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1:38:07

Picking Nits

Convenient vents, Cosmo’s motivations, Liz exposing the operation, and Crease’s incomplete travel request.

Convenient vents, Cosmo’s motivations, Liz exposing the operation, and Crease’s incomplete travel request.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:07Read transcript
  • Carl’s access through ceiling vents seems to make the elaborate voice-password operation unnecessary.
  • Movie vents are criticized as implausibly spacious, clean, and accessible.
  • Marty is questioned for never checking what happened to Cosmo; his fugitive status is offered in defense. — Bill Simmons
  • Cosmo’s redistribution plan seems inconsistent with his wealth, threats, and violence.
  • Redford and McDonnell’s nearly identical feathered hair is mocked. — Kyle Brandt
  • Liz’s computer-dating remark unnecessarily exposes the operation, although it fits her irritated cover persona. — Kyle Brandt
  • Crease requests first-class airfare but neglects lodging and other travel expenses. — Kyle Brandt
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1:48:05

Probably Unanswerable Questions

The NSA’s eventual surveillance powers, San Francisco status, hypothetical rewards, and Redford’s hair.

The NSA’s eventual surveillance powers, San Francisco status, hypothetical rewards, and Redford’s hair.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:48:05Read transcript
  • The panel questions the heroes’ victory in light of later real-world NSA surveillance. — Bill Simmons
  • Sneakers is called a top-tier San Francisco movie, with a wish for still more recognizable city footage. — Bill Simmons
  • Geographic discontinuities in other movie chases lead to questions about Giants-ballpark appearances on film. — Bill Simmons
  • Liz declining a reward prompts hypothetical requests, including stopping Jordan’s baseball retirement. — Kyle Brandt
  • Access to private screenings of new films is proposed as a reward. — Bill Simmons
  • Bill speculates about whether Redford wore a wig; others suggest hair dye, and no conclusion is established. — Bill Simmons
  • The speculation becomes a joking proposal for a podcast about actors’ hair, wigs, and cosmetic changes.
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1:59:17

Best Double Feature

WarGames and Patriot Games.
Sneakers
WarGames
Patriot Games
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:59:17Read transcript
  • WarGames is proposed as a companion film.
  • Chooses Patriot Games for another day of technology and espionage with a major star. — Kyle Brandt
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