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10 Best Hacker Movies (Films about Computer Hacking) of All Time

- - 55 comments
As a certified geek, it is always pleasing to see movies that involve computer hacking or hackers in action. Although most of these films don't always represent the real deal, some of them have what it takes to excite, amuse, and inspire those who are passionate about computers.

I have here my top 10 list or my all time favorite hacker movies or films that involve computer hacking. Feel free to share yours on the comment section later on:


10. Swordfish
If you are a big fan of Halle Berry and of course, computers, then this movie is for you. This action-packed film involves a high-tech robber/villain named Gabriel Shear (John Travolta) against Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman), a super hacker convicted by the FBI but who is trying to stay clean. Gabriel is the leader of a covert counter-terrorist unit called Black Cell who wants to steal $9.5 billion worth of money from a secret government slush fund (codenamed Swordfish). But since it's locked up behind a complicated encryption system, he offers the desperate Stanley $10 million to hack into the system and steal the money for him.



9. Track Down (aka Hackers 2)
Track Down, also known as Takedown or Hackers 2, is a film based on the book written by computer security expert Tsutomu Shimomura and journalist John Markoff, which tells the story of how they tracked down and helped the FBI arrest the most notorious computer hacker in the US -Kevin Mitnick. For several years, Mitnick had evaded Federal agents while breaking into numerous computers and gain access to sensitive and valuable information. When he hacked the system of Shimomura, it began a daring chase through cyberspace between two computer geniuses working on different sides of the law.



8. Antitrust
Antitrust is a fictional story of two idealistic computer whiz kids who are best friends. After graduating from Stanford, Milo and Teddy are offered jobs at NURV, a giant Portland company headed by CEO Gary Winston, and is on the brink of completing a global communication system. Milo accepts the job while Teddy declined and continues to work on a media compression program he wants to release for free. Winston takes a personal interest in Milo, whose genius can help NURV meet its launch date, and Milo responds with intelligence and hard work. But when Teddy meets with tragedy, Winston's irrational remark makes Milo suspicious. So he decides to investigate Winston and his company.



7. Sneakers
Sneakers is a star-studded film that tells the story of Martin Bishop (Robert Redford), head of a group of experts who specialize in testing security systems. When he is bribed by Government agents into stealing a top secret black box, the team find themselves involved in a game of danger and conspiracy. After getting the box, they discover that it has the capability to decode every existing encryption system around the world. The problem is that the agents who hired them didn't work for the Government after all.



6. Die Hard 4: Live Free or Die Hard
The fourth instalment in the Die Hard series is geeky enough for me to be included on this list. The story revolves around a group of super hackers/cyber terrorists who plan to hack FBI computers and takes over several U.S. technology infrastructures. Thanks to Bruce Willis' immortality and the aid of non-evil computer geeks headed by Justin Long (aka The Mac Guy), the movie has a happy ending.



5. The Net
Angela Bennett (Sandra Bullock) is a young and beautiful computer expert who becomes involved in a web of computer espionage. Only hours before she leaves for vacation, she discovers secret information on the disk she has received from a friend that turns her life into a living nightmare. Her records are erased from existence and she is given a new identity so she struggles to find out why this has happened to her.



4. Hackers
I think this movie is really popular among geeks for two reasons: Angelina Jolie and well, it is a story about hackers. The film follows the adventures of a group of gifted high school hackers and their involvement in a corporate extortion conspiracy. The lead character, Dade "Zero Cool" Murphy (Jonny Lee Miller), is arrested by the US Secret Service for writing a computer virus, banning him from using a computer until he turns 18. Years later, he and his hacker friends discover a plot to unleash a dangerous computer virus allowing them to use their computer skills to find the evil computer genius behind the virus while being pursued by the Secret Service.



3. Tron
Tron is an action-filled science fiction film that tells the story of a hacker who is literally abducted into the world of computer and forced to participate in gladiatorial games where his only chance of escape is the help of a heroic security program. The movie has been described by a film critic as "a technological sound-and-light show that is sensational and brainy, stylish, and fun".



2. The Matrix (Trilogy)
An all time list of movies about hacking is never complete without including The Matrix. Its trilogy is a mainstream success, so I presume that you have seen at least one instalment or know something about The Matrix. But for those of you who are clueless, the film tells the story about a computer hacker known as Neo (Keanu Reeves) who learns from mysterious underground hackers about the real nature of his existence and his main role in the war against the controllers of it.



1. WarGames
WarGames is a film about a young hacker who unknowingly gains access to WOPR, a United States military supercomputer programmed to predict possible after-effects of nuclear war. He gets WOPR to run a nuclear war simulation, initially perceiving it to be a computer game, which caused a national nuclear missile scare and nearly initiates World War III.



If you would like to share your favorite movies about hackers or hacking, please do so via comment.

55 comments

  1. The untraceable was nice, but i cant compare it with these since i didnt watch any of'em!! well except for matrix, watched it when i was a kid, i dont remember it!

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  2. This isn't a top 10 list, this is a top 5 list, although yes I give you the other 5 crappy movies had some hacking in them.

    You also left off one of the best hacker movies, Real Genius.

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  3. What about 'Independence Day'?
    Surely bringing down the advanced race of colonizers
    with a laptop counts for something!

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  4. "Pirates of Silicon Valley" should be in the list.

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  5. The hell? No Sneakers?

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  6. @Anonymous: Technically, 'Independence Day' wasn't a movie about hacking. It was a movie about alien invasion.

    @Greg: Ok, so which five are which?

    @anxiousnut: I liked "Untraceable," too. But you need to get out and rent you some DVD's. You can't really be on the 'Net if you haven't seen the original "Tron" or "War Games."

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  7. What about movie 'Firewall' or 'Enemy of the State' which is one of my favorit ever.

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  8. I thought they were making Tron 2. I'm going to Google that right now.

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  9. Another good hacker movie is "Nirvana". It's quite low budget but entertaining nonetheless. This movie's cyberpunk setting is worthy too.

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  10. Excellent choice in movies. They are all great.

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  11. Swordfish and Hackers don't even belong on the list. Sneakers should be no lower than top 3. I agree that Real Genius should be on the list.

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  12. CyberTracker

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  13. What about Revolution OS ?

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  14. Freedom Downtime

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  15. Yeah, that seems righ...hey! What about Johnny Neumonic?

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  16. What about "The Webmaster"

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  17. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequel. Completely real.

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  18. The Lsg have already see "Hackers", but some of the others might be ok?.

    Lsg Sec

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  19. Nobody mentioned Blade Runner. Who are you, people?

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  20. you guys ever seen, "Level 9" ?

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  21. Sneakers is the Daddy. "No more secrets Marty"

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  22. Hands down "Sneakers" is the best and it should be #1.

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  23. 23 – Nichts ist so wie es scheint

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  24. Wht abt Echelon Conspiracy, thats one of my favorite, but here hacker is the computer.

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  25. How about Eagle Eye?

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  26. Eagle Eye is the best also..

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  27. guys.. some movies you posted have very very little to do with computing..
    blade runner? girl with dragon tatoo? johnny neumonic?...- not computing in these movies is centered.

    i have a better example - "cypher"

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  28. or how about go old school with 'the conversation'
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071360/

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  29. User Name:CyberArmy,
    Nice Collection Man.

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  30. The best movie on network technologies and computer hacking, according to me, is Matrix.

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  31. Lol. Network technologies aren't described in The Matrix at all, nor is the method used to actually hack. The Matrix, while an awesome movie, doesn't really belong on this list.

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  32. the best hacking movie should be matrix however the movie matrix is outdate now

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  33. "Trackdown" the best hackers movie.

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  34. http://www.cilipi.net

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  35. Wow! nice collection buddies.. mine fav is diehard 4.0

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  36. AnonymousJune 25, 2011

    Track Down is not only full of BS & lies, it's 90 minutes of my life I want back. Worst movie ever. I just looked over someone else's list of top 30 hacker flicks and it didn't make that. It's in your top 10? Pathetic! WTF deez nuts u suck B======D

    Freedom Downtime takes this easily...

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  37. AnonymousJuly 11, 2011

    hhha what about the killwithme movie its more
    so i want new moie about hacker or net or els.
    about computer cypercrimenal .
    so bay im GENGEEL

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  38. Someone already mentioned it.

    23 - Nichts ist so wie es scheint

    "23 - Nothing is like it seems"

    is the best hacker movie of all times. It's about two hackers in west Germany during the end of the cold war.

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  39. can i get any hacker movies which dubbed in telugu any one plz

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  40. what do yall think abt bourne identity???

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  41. The Social Network
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/

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  42. social network ?? yea there is a scene where the network is hacked and crashed but that has like almost nothing to do with HACKING ! any more better movies you people have??

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  43. How about The Hunt for Red Oktober:

    Captain Ramius: Give me a ping, Vasili. One ping only, please.

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  44. lol funny give me a ping ,, one ping only lol LMAO too funny ..

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  45. WarGames: The Dead Code or war games update sequel
    what you think ? i think it an alright movie but nothing can compare to the really deal.

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  46. AnonymousJune 06, 2012

    what a f'd up list .. swordfish! haha swordfish is powerpoint presentation not hacking .. hahaha .. dumb list .. there arent any good hacking movies per say .. take down and matrix qualify .. matrix qualifies because its the only movie in which nmap is used and not some filthy powerpoint presentation .. noobs ...

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  47. Jehnsen EnriqueJune 12, 2012

    how about bloody monday? it should be in the list too.

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  48. AnonymousJune 18, 2012

    #Hacking

    2012 - Reboot
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB4oX4p0AoY

    #Nostalgia Fun

    1984 - Electric Dreams
    1986 - Jumpin'Jack Flash
    1994 - Brainscan
    1995 - Copycat
    1997 - Masterminds

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  49. AnonymousJune 18, 2012

    2002 - Terminal Error

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  50. How about Newman's small part in Jurasic Park?

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  51. "Office Space" with Jennifer Aniston. Those dudes hacked that printer to death! hahahahaha.

    This list is wack yo!

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  52. just looking for more films

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  53. Track down, #1. Although I haven't seen any other hacker movie

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