“Sneakers”, for me is one of those films that HAS to be seen by everyone I know. Not only that, but it’s one of those films where I get as much enjoyment from getting others to see it for the first time as I do from watching it again and again…You simply cannot NOT enjoy this movie.

Last night I spear headed what I would describe to be the perfect viewing of Phil Alden Robinson’s 1992 caper flick “Sneakers”. It was after dinner, still early evening and a group of us were looking for a movie to throw in the DVD player. Upon asking, “Has everyone seen ‘Sneakers’?”, the answer was a unanimous “no” with one person then modifying their answer to be, “Wait maybe I have. It’s really not very good.” Well with that, I snatched “Sneakers” off the shelf…and the end result was a room full of thoroughly entertained friends.

“Sneakers” has an early 90’s Ocean’s 11-ish feel to it and showcases a contingent of intoxicatingly comfortable onscreen stars. Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, River Phoenix, and Ben Kingsley form the cast and play off of each other so well that it’s impossible to not like them or their characters. Redford plays Martin Bishop, the head of a rag tag group of ex-criminals and one ex-CIA agent who make a living from being hired by organizations that pay them to break into their facilities exploiting their security flaws. This leads them into a precarious plot that involves the NSA, cryptography, and Steven Tobolowsky ( if you don’t know who this is then you don’t watch nearly enough television or movies…seriously)

Poitier plays ‘Crease’, Strathairn, ‘Whistler’, Aykroyd, ‘Mother’, and Phoenix, ‘Carl’. Each character brings something to the table. Crease is the ex-CIA guy, Whistler is a blind tech guy, Mother is a paranoid conspiracy theorist that knows communications and Carl is the distractor/ foot soldier. Each of them have their superb moments and they really do define ensemble cast. With the amount of time each has been on screen in their careers, you can tell that they really enjoyed playing their quirky roles. You can see the difference it makes when the cast is comfortable and not trying too hard. It also helps of course that Alden Robinson and Lawrence Lasker’s script was spot on. Everything from the complex cryptography to the camaraderie had the same thriller-lite tone. The final scene of the movie really sums it all up…it’s actually taking all of my willpower to not ruin it for you.

Even the score works well with the PG-13 lite tone. James Horner’s piano and percussion themes ramp it up for one scene and then taper right off to a soft or even comedic moment without skipping a beat. The more intense bars remind me of Dave Grusin’s work for “The Firm”. The impressive thing though is that he pieces all of it together so smoothly. I’ve seen movies that don’t even come close to this kind of refined score and they’ve been much bigger, more intense comedies or thrillers.

I think if I had to choose one thing from “Sneakers” that didn’t work for me, it would have to be Ben Kingsley. It pains me to say it but he really didn’t do much in his role and actually came off as awkward onscreen. Every time he spoke, I kept wondering if it was his character that made him appear that way but no…I think it was him. Not a huge disappointment but a surprise really. Also, next time you watch it, pay close attention to the way he runs…WTF is that all about?!

Rent or buy “Sneakers” today. If you can’t do either of those things, then just stop by my place and I’ll watch it with you.

The bottom line: 5/5. I double dare anyone to say that they can watch this movie and not smile through the entire thing. It has a great cast, a great lite tone, a great score and some one liners that will have you giggling like a little school girl.

Random P.S. Are there any hardcore “Alias” fans out there? I realize that it’s not uncommon for Hollywood to reuse locations and sets but the corridors in the Playtronics building scream “Alias”. White walls with red beams in the corridors and even the roof and the fire escape looks familiar. I think I remember it from a scene in which Sydney faces off against her mother as one of them is about to climb down off a roof using the fire escape… The building itself might be seen from afar in the episode where she leads a covert team into a trap and the building blows up with the team still inside…

Am I crazy? Love “Sneakers”? Hate it? ( I dare you!) Leave your comments below or Twitter me @billrusnak