Here’s a list of the best hacking movies. There are some great movies about hacking, but this is a list of the best.
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
PG-13 | 2h 8m | 7.1/10
John McClane is tasked to pick up hacker Matt Farrell and bring him to the FBI’s Computer Security Division in Washington D.C. John finds Matt at home, but before they can leave the apartment, they are attacked by armed men, and a shootout ensues. Matt is a computer genius, but the shooting scares him. He doesn’t realize that someone is trying to kill him. Meanwhile, reports of computer system problems are pouring in from the media, and one industry after another is falling. The detective and a young hacker join forces to take down master cyber-terrorist Thomas Gabriel.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
R | 2h 32m | 7.8/10
In this movie, a journalist is aided by a young female hacker in his search for the killer. Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family reunion on an island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Although Harriet’s body has never been found, her uncle is convinced it was a murder committed by someone in his family. A family whose members have strong ties but who are otherwise wholly dysfunctional. So he hires investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) to investigate the case, assisted by tattooed computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace). Lisbeth is a world-class hacker – she moves with complete ease in a virtual world where she can obtain any information she wants.
Hackers Wanted (2009)
Documentary | 1h 26m | 6.5/10
This film follows the hacking adventures of famous hacker Adrian Lamo and uses them as a microcosm for the macrocosm of struggles faced by emerging trends of thought – from the criminal to the philosophical. An unreleased American documentary explores the origins and nature of hackers and hacking and controversial figures throughout history. Originally named “Can You Hack It?” in 2007, the film failed to get a conventional release, according to Lamo, because of conflicts between its producer and others on the team. On May 20, 2010, a version of the film was leaked to BitTorrent. Lamo has stated that he had no involvement in the leak. On June 12, 2010, a director’s cut version of the film was also leaked onto torrent sites. This version contains additional footage and is significantly different from the one previously leaked.
Code 2600 (2011)
PG | 1h 22m | 7.1/10
CODE 2600 documents the Info-Tech Age, told by the events and people who helped build and manipulate it. It explores the impact this new connectivity has on our ability to remain human while maintaining our privacy and security. As we struggle to comprehend the wide-spanning socio-technical fallout caused by data collection and social networks, our modern culture is caught in an undercurrent of cyber-attacks, identity theft, and privacy invasion. Both enlightening and disturbing, CODE 2600 is a provocative wake-up call for a society caught in the grips of a global IT takeover.
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012)
Documentary | 1h 33m | 7.2/10
A documentary film about the workings and beliefs of the self-described “hacktivist” collective, Anonymous, assumed to stem from the imageboard 4chan. It also outlines the main turning points and “operations” in their history. They were annoyed by diverse issues such as copyright abuse, police brutality, online censorship, and would-be web controllers. This loosely affiliated collective of hacktivists has organized online and offline protests and cyber attacks on foreign governments during the Arab Spring movement and provided technical support to the Occupy movement. They see themselves as activists and protectors of free speech and tend to rise most powerfully when they perceive a threat to internet freedom or personal privacy.
DEFCON: The Documentary (2013)
Documentary | 1h 50m | 5.7/10
DEFCON is the world’s largest hacking conference, held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The documentary is a unique behind-the-scenes look at the biggest hacking conference, which took place for the 20th time in 2012. The Defcon conference has strict no-filming policies, but for DEFCON 20, a documentary crew was allowed full access to the event. The filmmakers take us through the four days of the conference, from the preparations to the actual event. They interview the organizers, and the people (attendees and staff) and cover the history and philosophy of DEFCON, its success, and the unique experience of attending.
Who Am I (2014)
Not Rated | 1h 42m | 7.5/10
Young German computer whiz Benjamin (Tom Schilling) is a bit of an outsider. In the virtual world, he meets the charismatic Max (Elyas M’Barek) and his friends Stephan (Wotan Wilke Möhring), and the paranoid Paul Makes (Antoine Monot Jr.). They invite Benjamin to join a subversive hacker group that wants to make itself visible on the world stage. Initially, it was supposed to be harmless fun that would boost everyone’s profiles. For a while, everything is going well, with Benjamin even managing to date the attractive Marie (Hannah Herzsprung). But then something goes wrong, and the group finds themselves in the crosshairs of the police, led by detective Hanne Lindberg (Trine Dyrholm). Overnight, Benjamin becomes one of the world’s most wanted hackers.
Blackhat (2015)
R | 2h 13m | 5.4/10
Hackers can ruin your life with just a few clicks. Once you’re online, they’ve got you. Even worse are those with ambition and who plan to cripple the world. An as-yet-unknown computer whiz has decided to play with us, and there seems to be no one to stop him. Because desperate people like to do desperate things, the Secret Service pulls hacker Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth) out of prison, where he’s serving 15 years for hacking. Despite getting caught, he’s the absolute top dog in the business, now with extra motivation; If he can track down the hacker who just took out a nuclear reactor at an unnamed power plant, he’ll be free. Hathaway immediately sets off in pursuit and, with the help of his American and Chinese partners, hunts a high-level cybercriminal all around the world. Meanwhile, his opponent is preparing his next strike. Where? Anywhere.
Zero Days (2016)
PG-13 | 1h 56m | 7.7/10
This documentary thriller was the first to reveal the full story of Stuxnet. A piece of self-replicating computer malware developed by Israel in collaboration with the US to disable Iran’s nuclear facilities. It is the most comprehensive summary (to date) of the facts about the secret mission by the two allies that opened Pandora’s box of cyber warfare, which ultimately spread beyond its intended target. Beyond the technical aspects, the story depicts a web of intrigue involving the CIA, the Mossad, and a new generation of cyber weapons whose destructive power is matched only by nuclear war.
I.T. (2016)
Mike Regan (Pierce Brosnan) is a millionaire who owns an aerospace company and lives in a state-of-the-art smart home full of modern technology with his wife Rose and 17-year-old daughter Kaitlyn. His life turned upside down after firing his I.T. consultant Porter, who claimed to have worked at the National Security Agency (NSA) and participated in military action in Kandahar. He takes complete control of the house’s technology. Then Mike realizes that Porter is behind it all.
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