The Net (film)
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| The Net | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover for The Net |
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| Directed by | Irwin Winkler |
| Produced by | Rob Cowen Irwin Winkler |
| Written by | John Brancato Michael Ferris |
| Starring | Sandra Bullock Jeremy Northam Dennis Miller |
| Music by | Mark Isham Jeff Rona |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | July 28, 1995 |
| Running time | 114 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Net is a 1995 film directed by Irwin Winkler and starring Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam and Dennis Miller. The storyline is based on the public fear of Big Brother in the United States. The film was followed by a short lived television series in 1998 and a direct-to-video sequel, The Net 2.0, produced by the son of producer Irwin Winkler, in 2006. Only the TV series has continuity with the original film.
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[edit] Plot
Angela Bennett is a freelance computer software analyst whose life completely revolves around her work. Whilst debugging a new video game for a client company, she finds that it is infected with a virus that allows hackers access to a new computer security system that is being installed on government and military systems.
On holiday in Mexico, she meets (not by accident) Jack Devlin (Jeremy Northam), who reveals that he has been sent by an internet terrorist group known as the Praetorians. He tries to steal the computer disk she has with her, but she escapes. When she tries to re-enter the USA, she discovers that her identity has been changed by the hackers who are stalking her - and she's now listed as "Ruth Marx", a convicted prostitute with a string of drug offences.
Arrested by police, Angela escapes and goes on the run. Unable to find anyone who can identify her, she contacts her former lover and psychiatrist, but he is also murdered as a result of the hackers machinations.
Desparate to escape the 'net', Angela/Ruth steals into the company offices where the hacker is thought to be located. She identifies one of the hackers, now using Angela's identity, and contrives to uncover the master plan of the Praetorians, which is to install their own 'Gatekeeper' software into the mainframes of several government and military computer systems.
At a computer convention, she sends an email to the FBI, revealing the hackers plan, but after doing so, she is chased by Jack and the fake "Angela". Jack accidentally kills his partner and the real Angela ambushes Jack, knocking him off a catwalk and sending him to his death.
Based on the tip that she has sent the FBI, the hackers are arrested. And Angela gets her life back.
[edit] Reaction
[edit] Box office performance
With an estimated budget of $22 million and a release date of July 28th, 1995, The Net earned $50,727,965 in domestic box office. Including foreign markets, the film grossed $110,627,965 worldwide and an additional $23,771,600 in rentals.
[edit] Awards and critical reception
The film was not recieved well overall by most critics, gathering a rating of only 30% at Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert, however, gave a positive review of three stars. Additionally, Sandra Bullock was nominated for "Most Desirable Female" at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards.
[edit] External links
