Thursday with Robert Redford

“Sneakers” (1992)

Sneakers is an amusing caper comedy. With a good cast, a twist and Robert Redford leading a gang of criminals who make a living preventing crime, it’s enjoyable to a point. Sneakers is also irritating. This is because its wrong, dated politics grates. The 1992 film, released on September 11, months before the first Islamic terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, correctly forecast the surveillance state.

This underscores how wrong the film is about everything else. Opening scenes, which take place in 1969, depict two New Left radicals hacking computers to steal money in the name of social justice. One gets caught and goes to prison. The other, a younger version of the Redford character, escapes police detection. His past catches up with him when the film cuts to present day. His assembly of shady characters includes a conspiracy theorist (Dan Aykroyd), a coltish dullard (River Phoenix), an ex-agent for the Central Intelligence Agency (Sidney Poitier) and a blind technician (David S…