Best Hacker Movies of All Time: 15 Must-Watch Picks
Love tech and thrillers? Hacker movies mix both, with brilliant coders, secret systems and races against time. Some are realistic, some are pure Hollywood, but all of them are fun to watch. Here are the best hacker movies of all time, from 80s classics to modern thrillers, plus one must-watch series.
Quick list
- The Matrix (1999)
- Hackers (1995)
- WarGames (1983)
- Sneakers (1992)
- The Social Network (2010)
- Blackhat (2015)
- Swordfish (2001)
- Who Am I (2014)
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
- Snowden (2016)
- Citizenfour (2014)
- The Imitation Game (2014)
- Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
- The Net (1995)
- Mr. Robot (TV series, 2015–2019)
1. The Matrix (1999)
Director: The Wachowskis
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Thomas Anderson is a programmer by day and a hacker called Neo by night. When a mysterious hacker named Morpheus contacts him, Neo discovers that the world he lives in is a computer simulation. It mixes hacking with sci-fi action, and its green "digital rain" code became one of the most famous images in film.
2. Hackers (1995)
Director: Iain Softley
Starring: Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie
A group of teenage hackers in New York is framed for planting a dangerous computer virus, and they have to use their skills to clear their names. It's not realistic, but it's a fun, stylish cult classic full of 90s hacker culture.
3. WarGames (1983)
Director: John Badham
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy
A teenager thinks he's hacked into a games company, but he has actually connected to a US military supercomputer and almost starts a nuclear war. WarGames is one of the first big hacker movies and still holds up as a smart thriller.
4. Sneakers (1992)
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Starring: Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Ben Kingsley
A team of security experts who test companies' defences is pulled into a dangerous job to steal a device that can break almost any encryption. It's a clever, funny heist movie with a strong cast.
5. The Social Network (2010)
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield
The story of how Mark Zuckerberg built Facebook in his Harvard dorm room. The early scene where he scrapes student photos for his "Facemash" site is one of the most talked-about coding scenes on screen.
View The Social Network on IMDb
6. Blackhat (2015)
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis
A convicted hacker is released from prison to help US and Chinese agents track down a cybercriminal who attacked a nuclear plant. It's praised for showing hacking more realistically than most Hollywood films.
7. Swordfish (2001)
Director: Dominic Sena
Starring: Hugh Jackman, John Travolta, Halle Berry
A gifted hacker just out of prison is pulled into a plan to steal billions of dollars from secret government funds. It's over the top, but it's an entertaining action movie.
8. Who Am I (2014)
Director: Baran bo Odar
Starring: Tom Schilling, Elyas M'Barek
In this German thriller, a shy young hacker joins a group of hackers called CLAY, and their pranks quickly turn into something much more dangerous. It has a great twist and is one of the best non-English hacker films.
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara
A journalist teams up with Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant hacker, to solve a 40-year-old disappearance. Salander is one of the most memorable hacker characters in film.
View The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on IMDb
10. Snowden (2016)
Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley
The true story of Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who leaked details of US government mass surveillance programmes in 2013.
11. Citizenfour (2014)
Director: Laura Poitras
Starring: Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald
If you liked Snowden, watch this real documentary filmed in the Hong Kong hotel room where Snowden met the journalists. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
12. The Imitation Game (2014)
Director: Morten Tyldum
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley
Not hacking in the modern sense, but the original codebreaking story: mathematician Alan Turing and his team crack Germany's Enigma code during World War II.
View The Imitation Game on IMDb
13. Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Bruce Willis, Justin Long
John McClane teams up with a young hacker to stop cyberterrorists who are shutting down the United States' computer systems. Pure action, with hacking at the centre of the plot.
View Live Free or Die Hard on IMDb
14. The Net (1995)
Director: Irwin Winkler
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam
A computer analyst stumbles on a secret programme, and her whole identity is erased from every database. It was ahead of its time on online privacy and identity theft.
15. Mr. Robot (TV series, 2015–2019)
Director: Sam Esmail (creator)
Starring: Rami Malek, Christian Slater
Our bonus pick is a series, not a movie, but no hacker list is complete without it. Rami Malek plays Elliot, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker who joins a group planning to take down a huge corporation. It's widely praised for showing real hacking tools and techniques.
Are hacker movies realistic?
Mostly not. Real hacking involves a lot of research, reading code and waiting, which doesn't look exciting on screen. Movies like Blackhat, Sneakers and the series Mr. Robot are known for being more accurate, while Hackers, Swordfish and The Net are more about style and fun.
If these films make you think about your own security, start with simple steps: check who is connected to your WiFi, learn how to know if your WhatsApp is hacked, and set up Find My Device on your Android phone. You'll find more lists like this in our top lists.
FAQs
What is the best hacker movie of all time?
Many people pick The Matrix or WarGames. For realism, Blackhat and the series Mr. Robot are popular choices.
What is the most realistic hacking movie?
Mr. Robot (a series) is often called the most realistic. Among movies, Blackhat and Sneakers are known for being closer to real hacking.
Is there a true story hacker movie?
Yes. Snowden, Citizenfour, The Social Network and The Imitation Game are all based on real events.
What is a good hacker movie for beginners?
WarGames and Sneakers are easy to follow and fun, even if you know nothing about computers.
Which hacker movie is your favourite? Tell us in the comments.
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