Hackers
Hackers Iain Softley Mark Kermode filmmaker Q&A film criticism film analysis cyberpunk 1990s hacktivism
Three DIEGESIS writers revisit HACKERS (1995)
DIEGESIS MAGAZINE
As a product of the cyber age, Iain Softley’s 1995 computer-hacking themed film HACKERS does not disappoint with its vibrant, cyberpunk-inspired aesthetic. The film is set in mid-1990s Manhattan where every other teenager is sporting rollerblades or brightly dyed hair. As a result, HACKERS presents a unique style for its teenage band of rebellious hacker-come-heroes: gaudy patterns merge with sport and fetish wear to create the film’s iconic fashion choices; biker jackets are placed over wetsuits; and parachute straps are tightly bound over kimonos to create a jarring, culturally unifying experience in costuming. Here, delicate Asian silk meets American paratrooper uniforms, reflecting the catchphrase of the film “Hack the planet!” as computer whizzes across the world unite to prove they are more than just geeks in the face of tech-based adversity.

The aesthetics of cyber culture are explored further by the unlicensed hacker-tv sensations Razor (Darren Lee) and Blade (Peter Y. Kim), whose camp, dramatic looks are reminiscent of another 1990s style of fashion known as Club Kid. The flamboyant extravagance of Club Kids are shown in Razor and Blade’s few scenes in the film, which mostly take place at a dance club. When protagonists Dade (Jonny Lee Miller) and Kate (Angelina Jolie) arrive at the club to find the duo, we are visually bombarded with intricate costumes including chandelier headpieces, robots and bondage gear. Much like the film’s motto, the club is a place of unification, with all sorts of crazy characters merging into a shared experience of cyber-age revelry.

Cybernetic elements also seep into the set design, with the hacker sanctum “Cyberdelia” illuminated by neon lights and full of video games and deconstructed robots. Cyberdelia’s interior design also showcases the vast number of rollerbladers that populate the hacker metropolis, with a never ending stream of skaters flying by in the background of any scene that takes place there. The abundance of ramps and slopes adds to the otherworldly visuals of the club, with curves, wires and spinning wheels mirroring the interior workings of computer circuitry. The ambience of Cyberdelia is matched by the film’s soundtrack as the likes of Underworld and The Prodigy creates a vivid fusion of raving and laser tag. All these elements work together to create a futuristic, sci-fi world simultaneously dated by dial up internet and embarrassingly bulky computers.

HACKERS was released during a time of uncertainty. In 1995, the World Wide Web had been invented only 15 years prior and it was during the 1990s when its impact truly began to transpire. The internet was little understood, even less so was how it would eventually become a staple in everyday life. HACKERS attempts to predict the impact of the internet on social class, crime and culture. While its interpretation may seem extremely camp and laughably exaggerated it gives a vibrant look at what might have been.

HACKERS has slowly gained cult success, especially among the tech community, and it is not difficult to see why. Being geeky or nerdy has definitively gained popularity as people can connect over interests much easier in the age of the internet. While this might be the case today, it was very different in the 1990s where computer nerds were isolated, lacking appropriate social skills and were bullied and ridiculed accordingly. The ability to have some control of not just one's life but that of others is extremely desirable. HACKERS imagines a world where this is possible, envisioning a hyped up culture where the computer hackers were king and there is nothing more desirable than to be deemed an “elite” hacker.

This alternate future all comes with a pinch of salt for lest us not forget this was the time where a floppy disk had the power to conquer the world. In fact, the very definition of “hacker” has changed since the film’s release. Previously, a hacker was someone computer literate who used their knowledge to overcome a problem. As hacker culture developed and took on a life of its own it began to mean someone who circumvented computer security for their own means. The film responds to this growing culture but it takes it one step further by imagining what it would be like if hackers really did become the cool kids.

The film is a colourful and flamboyant imagining of how the World Wide Web developed and, while the film may seem clichéd now, it is fascinating to see the origin of so many computer-based film tropes, from flashing numbers supposedly representing code to actors furiously typing gibberish. HACKERS may have aged but the film was so ahead of its time that it is captivating to watch and imagine the future that could have been.