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Cypher

Cypher

Thriller · Science Fiction · 2002

An unsuspecting, disenchanted man finds himself working as a spy in the dangerous, high-stakes world of corporate espionage. Quickly getting way over-his-head, he teams up with a mysterious femme fatale.

Movie details

Cypher

“Never forget who you are.”

2002 Thriller · Science Fiction 1h 36m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

An unsuspecting, disenchanted man finds himself working as a spy in the dangerous, high-stakes world of corporate espionage. Quickly getting way over-his-head, he teams up with a mysterious femme fatale.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Cypher?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Vincenzo Natali

Written by

Brian King

Jeremy Northam

Jeremy Northam

Morgan Sullivan

Kristina Nicoll

Kristina Nicoll

Amy

Nigel Bennett

Nigel Bennett

Finster

Kari Matchett

Kari Matchett

Diane

Lucy Liu

Lucy Liu

Rita Foster

Timothy Webber

Timothy Webber

Callaway

David Hewlett

David Hewlett

Virgil C. Dunn

Court is in session

Put Cypher on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.