History Film / Hackers

* ContrivedCoincidence: Looking for something to take to prove he managed to get inside Ellingson's Gibson, Joey decides to download a seemingly unimportant garbage file - that just happens to be the worm that Plague's using to embezzle from the company.

* {{Jerkass}}: The Plague. And Gill.
* KickTheDog: Does the FBI really raid hacker dens with SWAT teams and rip computers apart to the individual boards?
** Yes, they actually do.
*** And given more recent reports of SWAT teams being used to raid things like low-wager friendly poker games and unlicensed barbershops, the TruthInTelevision factor will only increase with time.
*** It was TruthInTelevision before the movie even came out, for that matter. Witness Operation Sundevil specifically.
* LetsGetDangerous: The four main hackers learn of the scheme, agree to stop The Plague, and kick into gear.
* LivingADoubleLife: Although it remains largely unexplored, there are a few dots of fairly substantial evidence that imply Agent Ray (Marc Antony) is perhaps a hacker, or if not, is at least a part of the local subculture surrounding it. He's at least reasonably knowledgeable about computers, especially compared to his co-workers, if his brief conversation with Agent Gill during Joey's arrest is any indication, and when Agent Bob is reading him an excerpt of the Hacker's Manifesto, he simply states that he thinks it's cool. More to the point though, he's very conspicuously present at Kate's party a little later on in the film, but certainly doesn't seem to be undercover, simply smoking, dancing, and checking out a hot girl.

* SarcasticConfession: Dade to his mother, "I'm taking over a TV Network."

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Agents Bob and Ray. Not really bad, since they're secret service agents, but they're definitely antagonists and Bob is definitely a {{Jerkass}}.

* TruthInTelevision: The Secret Service actually ''did'' engage in widespread raids and arrests in the years before this movie came out. Hackers were mostly harassed in similar ways as those shown in the movie. At least one of these cases led to the creation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

* WrongfulAccusationInsurance: [[spoiler:In the course of stopping the tankers from capsizing ([[ClearMyName the crime for which they were framed]]) and obtaining the evidence of the [[BigBad real villain's]] embezzlement scheme, the heroes wreck an incredibly expensive supercomputer, but the Secret Service apparently doesn't prosecute them for it, since we see Dade and Kate living (more or less) happily ever after at the end. This is most likely because the truth (which was [[DoNotAdjustYourSet broadcast worldwide]] by other hackers) embarrassed the SS to no end – The Plague manipulated the SS into assisting him in terrorism-for-blackmail.]]

* ContrivedCoincidence: Joey finds the worm before it finishes his run -- and can't complete the download because his mother switches off his computer.

--> '''Lord Nikon''': [[BlatantLies I got photographic memory -- it's a curse...]]

* TruthInTelevision: The Secret Service actually ''did'' engage in widespread raids and arrests in the years before this movie came out. Hackers were mostly harassed in similar ways as those shown in the movie. At least one of these cases led to the foundation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
** It is perhaps helpful to know that while the Secret Service is known for protecting The President, the vast majority of their time (and their original mission) is investigating financial crimes such as counterfeiting. When the movie was made, the Secret Service was part of the Treasury Department.

* CatapultNightmare: After Dade Murphy has a visit from the authorities, he has a dream where his SlapSlapKiss LoveInterest Kate enters his room and starts kissing him, then the authorities enter and arrest them. He wakes up and sits up in bed. Phreak also gets one (that turns out to be [[FiveSecondForeshadowing pretty prophetic]]) about a massive SWATTeam entering his room and Gill [[BigBrotherIsWatchingYou telling him "I'm watching you" from his computer's monitor]].

* EroticDream: Kate has an especially erotic dream about Dade.

* {{Foil}}: The Plague, for Crash Override. Dade is an altruist who uses his hacking skills to help others and fight corruption, Plague sells out other hackers to cover his tracks. Dade got probation for a youthful hack that unintentionally caused a seven point drop in the stock market, Plague works for a major mineral and Wall Street company and is intentionally ripping it off. Plague even reprises Dade's "You talkin' to me?" line in the final duel. Also, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Dade uses rollerblades, Plague skateboards]].

* GondorCallsForAid: During the climatic last battle of the movie, Razor and Blade (who suggested this plan in the first place), along with hackers from England, Japan, Russia, and Italy (and presumably other countries as well) digitally join in with the crew in New York to 'kill' the Gibson under Plague's -- by this point almost manic -- control.

* GratuitousSpanish: '''LA COMPUTADORA DE [[PrecisionFStrike MIERDA!]]''' [[note]]The phrase Phreak's mom said when his son was arrested for hacking. In the Spanish dubbing, this phrase was softenned.[[/note]]

** Averted with Dade. He doesn't really want to advertise that he's Zero Cool, but beyond Kate saying his new handle once in a dismissive fashion, no one calls him Crash Override. He's just "Dade" to everyone else.

-->'''The Plague''': ''Someone didn't bother reading my carefully prepared memo on commonly-used passwords. Now, then, as I so meticulously pointed out, the four most-used passwords are: love, sex, secret, and... GOD. So, would your holiness care to change her password?''

* PennyShaving: The MacGuffin is a worm that steals fractions of a cent from every transaction that the Ellingson Mineral Company conducts. A better example than most because the money isn't actually gone; it's just data being shifted around... until it completes its run, transfers the money to a numbered account in the Bahamas and makes a great big mess to cover its tracks.

In a prologue flashback, Dade Murphy, age 11, going by the hacker alias Zer0 Cool, is found guilty of crashing 1,507 computers, and single-handedly causing a drop in the New York Stock Exchange. In deference to his age, he is sentenced to seven years of probation, in which he is forbidden from owning or operating a computer or touch-tone telephone.

Fast forward seven years: Dade's mother, now divorced and with full custody of Dade (Johnny Lee Miller), moves them both to New York to get a fresh start. Dade struggles to make friends, but ends up falling in with a new hacking crowd, including Phantom Phreak, Cereal Killer, Lord Nikon... and Joey. Not long after, Joey, the kid of the group, breaks into a supercomputer at Ellingson, a large oil and mineral conglomerate. In a ContrivedCoincidence, he downloads part of a worm program -- one created by the crooked head of IT Security for Ellingson, Eugene "the Plague" Belford, himself a hacker gone pro. Belford is using the worm to quietly embezzle many millions of dollars from Ellingson.

Seeing an opportunity, the security chief creates a virus called daVinci - which threatens to infect and sink several Ellingson oil tankers, thus causing a major global ecological disaster. Having 'found' the virus, Belford presents the virus's threat as a reason to contact the Secret Service to help find the intruder. When the Secret Service investigates with Ellingson's cooperation, Belford discovers Dade (and his past as Zer0 Cool) and pressures him to get the file Joey downloaded - ultimately threatening to alter law enforcement databases so his mother gets "disappeared into the system." Dade gets Belford the file - but realizes his mistake soon after. Now, it's up to Dade, Phreak, Cereal, Nikon, and Kate, Dade's crush, herself a hacker, to figure out the truth, and get the evidence they need to clear their names.

In a prologue flashback, Dade Murphy, age eleven, is found guilty of crashing 1,507 computers, and single-handedly causing a drop in the New York Stock Exchange. In deference to his age, he is sentenced to seven years of probation, in which he is forbidden from owning or operating a computer or touch-tone telephone.

Fast forward seven years: Dade's mother, now divorced and with full custody of Dade (Johnny Lee Miller), moves them both to New York to get a fresh start. Dade struggles to make friends, but ends up falling in with a new hacking crowd. Not long after, Joey, the kid of the group, breaks into a supercomputer at Ellingson, a large oil and mineral conglomerate. In a ContrivedCoincidence, he downloads a virus/worm program that the crooked head of IT Security for Ellingson is using to embezzle many millions of dollars. In response, the security chief tries to frame the hackers for both the theft and a planned environmental disaster. Thanks to assistance from hackers world-wide, our heroes manage to prevent the disaster, clear their names, and Dade gets the girl.

* CatapultNightmare: After Dade Murphy has a visit from the authorities, he has a dream where his SlapSlapKiss LoveInterest Kate enters his room and starts kissing him, then the authorities enter and arrest them. He wakes up and sits up in bed.

Fast forward seven years: Dade's mother, now divorced and with full custody of Dade (Johnny Lee Miller), moves them both to New York to get a fresh start. Dade struggles to make friend, but ends up falling in with a new hacking crowd. Not long after, Joey, the kid of the group, breaks into a supercomputer at Ellingson, a large oil and mineral conglomerate. In a ContrivedCoincidence, he downloads a virus/worm program that the crooked head of IT Security for Ellingson is using to embezzle many millions of dollars. In response, the security chief tries to frame the hackers for both the theft and a planned environmental disaster. Thanks to assistance from hackers world-wide, our heroes manage to prevent the disaster, clear their names, and Dade gets the girl.

-->''[[{{Irony}} Anarchists of the world, unite!]]''

*** Also, 'Lord Nikon', to reference the hacker's photographic memory'.

** The elite [[MasterComputer supercomputers]] of the movie are called "Gibsons" which is a nod to Creator/WilliamGibson. This also counts as artistic license, as such machines are more typically called "Big Iron".

* PennyShaving: The MacGuffin is a worm that steals fractions of a cent from every transaction that the Ellingson Mineral Company conducts.

--> "You're not good enough to beat me!"
--> "Yeah, maybe I'm not. But ''we'' are, asshole."

Fast forward seven years: Dade's mother, now divorced and with full custody of Dade (Johnny Lee Miller), moves them both to New York to get a fresh start. Dade struggles to make friend, but ends up falling in with a new hacking crowd. Not long after, Joey, the [[Main/Newbie n00b]] of the group, breaks into a supercomputer at Ellingson, a large oil and mineral conglomerate. In a ContrivedCoincidence, he downloads a virus/worm program that the crooked head of IT Security for Ellingson is using to embezzle many millions of dollars. In response, the security chief tries to frame the hackers for both the theft and a planned environmental disaster. Thanks to assistance from hackers world-wide, our heroes manage to prevent the disaster, clear their names, and Dade gets the girl.

In a prologue flashback, lead character Dade Murphy (Creator/JonnyLeeMiller), age eleven, is found guilty of crashing 1,507 computers. Fast forward seven years, where his mother has just moved both of them to New York. Dade, reluctantly at first, falls in with a new hacking crowd. One of the hackers breaks into a supercomputer where, in a ContrivedCoincidence, he downloads a virus/worm program that the aforementioned evil security chief is using to steal many millions of dollars. In response, the security chief tries to frame the hackers for both the theft and a planned environmental disaster. Thanks to assistance from hackers world-wide, our heroes manage to prevent the disaster, clear their names, and Dade gets the girl.

''Hackers'' is known for referencing top-of-the-line computers of the time (now [[TechnologyMarchesOn horribly, horribly outdated]]) and [[HollywoodHacking unrealistic depictions of hacking]], but it nevertheless remains quite entertaining. It's also notable as one of the earliest roles for Creator/AngelinaJolie. While real computer hackers will sneer at the movie in public (except for those who find the research failure to be funny as HELL), secretly they desperately wish that it were true: it's a world where hackers are slim and trendy, hackers save the world from evil corporations, and most importantly, Angelina Jolie ditches her jock boyfriend for a hacker.

* HackerCollective: The movie is about this, if well TheProtagonist is loosely based on the [[RealLifeMakesThePlot real life hacker codenamed "Zero Cool"]], he's part of a hackers collective which attack together to make some kind of "social justice".

** Dade's first and last on-screen hacks use the BadassBoast, "Mess With The Best, Die Like a the Rest."

** Even more of a brick joke when we discover that Plague's partner in crime and woman he's been sleeping with, Margo, is the one who the password belongs to (and he would probably know her sleep schedule).

** Dade's first and last on-screen hacks use the line, "Mess With The Best, Die Like a the Rest."

** ''[[TaxiDriver You talkin' to me?]]''

** Crash Override's TV show of choice is ''Series/TheOuterLimits''.