Dir: Dominic Sena
Starring
John Travolta
Hugh Jackman
Halle Berry
Don Cheadle
2001
R, 97 m
RATING: 6 out of 10
Swordfish is a mindless film with a script going in so many directions it forgets that though the story is silly, it has to be filled with realistic characters. The plot involves an ex-hacker (Jackman) who is contracted by a powerful terrorist's (Travolta) girlfriend (Berry) to help write a computer code to break into a federal bank and steal billions of dollars. They woo him with the promise of helping him attain custody of his daughter.
The plot may sound simple and mindless, and it is, except that the filmmakers decide to try and twist every possible discernible aspect they can of it, attempting to impress the audience with the ambiguity of it all. To twist a plot is one thing, to mangle it into a heaping mess of indecipherability is another.
What makes Swordfish watchable is the energy of the action sequences as Travolta's sometimes funny and effective lines. The beginning of the film, in which Travolta dissects Dog Day Afteroon and the expectations of audiences certainly makes it seem as if wrtier Skip Woods would deliver an intelligent action flick - but he doesn't. Thankfully, however, there are some great scenes with audaciously over-the-top action that immensely help the film, including a shattering hostage situation, a kinetic car chase aided by some loud, almost tangible sound effects, and a helicopter dragging a city bus amidst downtown LA.
In the end, Sena wastes a formidable cast in this empty outing, a clear exercise in style over substance. Sure, he's got Travolta, Jackman, Cheadle, and Barry, but with nothing to work with, the actors seem almost uninterested. You can have a top-notch cast, but a weak script can crush it. Still, indiscriminating action fans will revel in the explosions, shootouts, and chases.
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