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The Discordant Opposition Journal Issue 01 File 05
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Dec/98
::: The Discordant Opposition Journal ::: Issue 1 - File 5 :::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:Takedown Movie Review:
"Look. I've been given a mandate to catch Kevin Mitnick.
For what crime? Damned if I know."
The above is a quote from 'Agent Flores', an FBI agent character
in the controversial new Mitnick movie. I've read the script, the
latest one, so I'm going to write my own review of it. Perhaps
it'll be a little less reactionary and a little more objective
than some of what has already been said and written by others.
I'd like to say one thing straight off, I like the movie. From
the script I've read I think it's going to be the best, most
factual portrayal of hackers that has ever been. I would also like
to make a few comments about the attitudes of others. The Secret
Service, and government agencies in general, have a well known
catchphrase, 'need to know'. It seems ironic that the essence of
this phrase has been adopted by those who's agendas and the SS's
are so opposite.
The feeling I get from posts I've read about the script to date
is something along the lines of 'I [or we] have read the script
and told you what you need to know so now you don't have to read
it.' I'm sorry but that doesn't work for me. The reviews of the
script I've read so far have been rather biased. Sure the script
has certain things in it that aren't good but I think that there's
no excuse for journalists to lose their objectivity.
The movie's opening scene is in 'Jumbo's Clown Room' which is
described as 'A dark strip club, open 24 hours'. Kevin Mitnick is
there with his friend Lewis de Payne, playing a 'PacWoman' arcade
game. No, the movie doesn't allege that this is where Kevin and
Lew go to relax. They're there to meet Agent Steal, aka Justin
Tanner Peterson. The meeting starts off with introductions, here's
a nice quote from Justin:
JUSTIN
You never heard of Agent Steal? That's
me man. And I am telling you I am the
shit.
He certainly is. The movie goes on from here with Agent Steal
telling Kevin and Lew about the FBI's SAS system to gain their
attention. Things go badly for him when Kevin goes straight out
and gets his hands on the system's every detail.
Agent Steal's little cameo appearance ends with a conversation
with Agent Rollins of the FBI.
INT. JUSTIN'S APARTMENT - DAY
Fighting panic, Justin paces nervously while he talks on the
phone
JUSTIN
It's not as bad as it sounds.
ROLLINS (VO)
(filtered) Justin you told them about
SAS! How could you be so stupid?!
Rollins is McCOY ROLLINS, the FBI's top computer crime agent.
And he's angry.
That about sums up the first few pages of the script. I think I
should tackle a few of the more contentious issues involved in the
script now.
The garbage can lid scene is a cause of much anxiety to various
people, it symbolised all that was wrong with the first two
scripts. It is important to remember that there was much more
wrong as well though, Kevin whistling touch tones and rigging
radio phone in contests to name a few of the wilder inaccuracies.
So what does this infamous scene look like? Shimomura's entered
the alley following the person he thinks is Kevin. He's just been
suprised by somebody throwing a bag of garbage out of a door...
Just as Shimomura relaxes...
THWAACK!
...he's clubbed on the side of the head. Mitnick, wielding
the top of a metal garbage can lid like a weapon, sees
Shimomura drop into the muck. He staggers out of the alleyway.
Shimomura, dazed, blood flowing freely from a gash above his
ear, raises himself to his elbows...
...and watches Mitnick disappear, but not before Mitnick
looks back one last time, then fades into the night...
Okay so the fact remains that such an event never took place.
However without this scene the movie loses any semblance of action
or suspense. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly disapprove, but you
have to see it from the scriptwriter's point of view. Without
this scene the movie consists of a bunch of guys sitting behind
computer screens, while most hackers might be interested in seeing
this the general public will not.
I don't think we should get hung up on the movie portraying
Kevin as 'psychotic' because it doesn't. Personally I would rather
see the scene [if it had to exist at all] end with Kevin dumping
the entire garbage can on Shimomura's head. I have this mental
image of Shimomura picking spaghetti out of his hair and banana
peels from his clothes that brings a grin to my face. Okay, so
instead of horror we would have humour but it would still be a
scene worth seeing. Best of all nobody would get hurt.
I think it is rather unreasonable for people to expect the movie
writers to see things their way. The writers are people who have
no concept as to how one hack's or even how it works, these are
the kind of people who result to embarrassing hologram type images
like the ones in 'Hackers the movie' to sum it up. I've been
writing to one of my favourite authors of late and I commented
that his knowledge of technology seemed very sound and inquired if
he had ever been a hacker. He said "If [my book] sounds
knowledgeable about hacking, etc it's because of my ability as a
writer, not as a programmer" although the guy does do some
programming.
What I'm saying is that the movie is a work of fiction based
upon actual events. As such it's writers are under no obligation
to be truthful in their portrayal of events surrounding Kevin's
arrest and incarceration. I think we should welcome the effort
they have made so far in making the script more reasonable than
still go on rabidly criticising them.
