If you had asked me before I watched 2001’s Swordfish for the first time recently, since I originally saw it back in 2001, if I liked it, I would have said yes and told you it was a good movie. However, in watching this again recently, I can see why, when it was released, Swordfish got mostly negative reviews, as this was nowhere near as good as I remembered it being.
Where to Watch Swordfish
Swordfish was released on June 8, 2001. You can stream the film from a digital platform such as Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV.
The Review: Expectations vs Reality
Before we get to the movie, I have to talk about the hype. That is right, there was actually quite a lot of hype for Swordfish. First of all, Hugh Jackman had become a huge star thanks to his role as Wolverine in 2000s X-Men, and this was his first blockbuster movie after that. That alone was enough of a reason for people to be excited about going to the theatre to see this.
In addition to that, the movie also starred John Travolta and Don Cheadle. But it was the female co-star, Halle Berry, who also got the movie a ton of attention. You see, there was a huge amount of buzz about Swordfish because Halle Berry was going to be doing her very first topless scene! That is right, back in 2001, it was completely acceptable for people to be excited about going to see a movie purely because a leading lady was going topless.
The Plot Explained
I guess thriller is the best way to describe what this movie is. Hugh Jackman plays the role of a hacker called Stanley Jobson. Stanley has been court-ordered to no longer access a computer or the internet, and his personal life is also in chaos. Well, things are about to change, and his life is about to become a whole lot more interesting as a result.
Swordfish Cast and Character Dynamics
We have a guy called Gabriel Sheer (John Travolta) who works for the government in some kind of capacity. Gabriel, along with his ally, Ginger, played by Halle Berry, wants Stanley to make a special kind of virus that will transfer them billions of dollars. As a premise, this sounds pretty cool, but the execution here is the problem.
Why Swordfish Falls Short
First of all, it is like the movie is trying to be too clever with all these twists and turns, and who can Stanley really trust, who is really good, and who is really bad? Usually, I love this kind of thing, but in Swordfish, it is kind of a mess. There are some decent action scenes, but there is also a lot of Stanley frantically typing away at his keyboard. I get the impression they thought that this would be exciting, but it is really not.
The Controversial Scene with Halle Berry
The infamous topless scene with Halle Berry is super strange, too. Hey, Halle Berry looks like a million bucks for sure, but the scene just feels so forced, out of place, and unnecessary. Although more power to Halle Berry as she got one hell of a pay day for this.
Final Thoughts: Is Swordfish Worth Watching?
I would not really say that Swordfish is a bad movie; it is just not a very good one. When it comes to these hacking thrillers that were popular in the 90s and early ’00s, some have not aged all that well, and Swordfish is one of them. It has a great cast and a solid premise, but it just does not work.
