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‘Blackhat’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan

September 12, 2023 · Blackhat (2015) · Action · Crime · Thriller · 1:16:15

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 25:23Multiple scenes: Korean restaurant scene where movie takes off, explosion when brother blows up (best scene in movie), basement raid, final ceremony gunfight
Chris Ryan▶ 28:51Agrees with Korean restaurant scene and basement raid discussions, emphasizes gunfight quality and Michael Mann's style

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Bill Simmons▶ 42:15The Korean restaurant
Chris Ryan▶ 43:09Discussed the scene where Barrett gets killed looking up at the tower and the tarmac scene with Hathaway, ultimately choosing Barrett dying

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 43:53How fucking confusing it is if you're watching it the first time

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 47:02The trope of characters going to jail for 'noble' fights instead of realistic crimes, people who fix TVs and garage door openers getting shot at, and dense plots that require Wikipedia to follow
Chris Ryan▶ 48:13The jumpy dialogue trying to explain dense plots, and the audio mix issues in a Michael Mann film

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 50:25Suggests 'Handsome Hacker' and 'Ghostface' as alternative titles, notes original title was 'Cyber'
Chris Ryan▶ 50:21Prefers the original title 'Cyber' as more communicative of what the movie was about

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 51:56I'm not sure there's any light at the end of this tunnel anymore (Hemsworth says that to the sister)
Chris Ryan▶ 52:04Do my own time, not the institution. See, to hold on to who you are in there. You dedicate yourself to a program. You work out your body and your mind.

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 52:37This isn't Michael Mann's worst movie - Public Enemies is worse and doesn't work

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 52:55Couldn't find any casting what-ifs

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 53:50William Mapother — William Mapother as Tom Cruise's cousin/brother, and York Van Wageningen as Sadak
Chris Ryan▶ 54:28Holt

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 58:42Soy Futures and Hamgy Park Restaurant
Chris Ryan▶ 58:23Hacking on screen

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:00Jon Bernthal — Jon Bernthal as Hathaway's cellmate, though questions if he'd be believable as a hacker
Chris Ryan▶ 1:04:32Wayne Jenkins as Hathaway's cellmate with specific dialogue about rooming with 'Steve Jobs'

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:27Considers leaving it blank, explicitly rules out the composer

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:58Is hacking really this easy where you can just type some stuff and immediately access all someone's information? Questions whether elite hackers can actually break into systems as effortlessly as shown in movies
Chris Ryan▶ 1:08:38Why would someone just out of federal prison immediately get into a serious romantic relationship? Questions the realistic dynamic between the main characters when not actively hacking

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:31Do my time, don't let my time do me

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:53Viola Davis — Viola Davis - she owns every scene and makes the movie work
Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:44Viola Davis — Viola Davis - if she's replacement level, this movie is not as good; she makes this movie top

Movies Referenced (29)

Miami Vice (2006)

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 8:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blade Runner (1982)

4 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 12:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

American Sniper (2014)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 4:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Heat (1995)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 6:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Public Enemies (2009)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 8:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Collateral (2004)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 8:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 23:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fight Club (1999)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 23:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jason Bourne (2016)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 14:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rush (2013)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 14:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Shot Caller (2017)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 36:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Suicide Squad (2016)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 34:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (4)

Michael Mann

43 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 3:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chad Stahelski

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for John Wick▶ 31:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Woo

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Hard Boiled▶ 31:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ridley Scott

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Martian, Blade Runner▶ 21:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (34)

Chris Hemsworth

23 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Avengers▶ 13:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jon Bernthal

7 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Wolf of Wall Street, King Richard, Fury▶ 1:05:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mario Kassar

7 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for First Blood, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Stargate▶ 11:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Ortiz

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Silver Linings Playbook, American Gangster, Miami Vice▶ 39:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Cruise

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Top Gun, Minority Report▶ 53:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Crazy Town

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Something's Gotta Give, Saving Silverman, Orange County▶ 37:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Viola Davis

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Help, Doubt▶ 43:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Colin Farrell

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Lobster, In Bruges▶ 14:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jamie Foxx

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Collateral, Django Unchained▶ 9:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Walker

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Fast and the Furious, Furious 7, Running Scared▶ 19:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Redford

2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Natural, Ordinary People, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid▶ 58:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Russell Crowe

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind▶ 50:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (2)

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 21:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ted Jessup

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Ted 2, The Girlfriend Experience▶ 36:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 4:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗