Takedown (2000)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Joe Chappelle

Writers (WGA):

Tsutomu Shimomura (book) and
John Markoff (book) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 March 2000 (France)

Genre:

Thriller | Action

Tagline:

The world has a right to know.

Plot:

This film is based on the story of the capture of computer hacker "Kevin Mitnick".

Plot Keywords:

Hacker | Computer | Computer Hacker | Female Nudity | Prison

Cast

Skeet Ulrich	...	Kevin Mitnick
Russell Wong	...	Tsutomu Shimomura
Angela Featherstone	...	Julia
Donal Logue	...	Alex Lowe
Christopher McDonald	...	Mitch Gibson
Master P	...	Brad
Tom Berenger	...	McCoy Rollins
Jeremy Sisto	...	Lance 'Icebreaker' Petersen
Amanda Peet	...	Karen
Ethan Suplee	...	Dan Bradley
Dorit Sauer	...	Shelley
Mark Joy	...	Committee Chairman
Scott Cooper	...	Jake Cronin
Ned Bellamy	...	Tom Fiori
Sara Melson	...	Rachel
Michael Town	...	Ray the Guard
J.C. Quinn	...	Sgt. Tom Janks
Sam Robison	...	Joel
Tim Parati	...	Chris Munson
David Lenthall	...	Mike Lechy
Cedrik Terrell	...	Ron Bowie (as Cedrick Terrell)
Scott Simpson	...	Quinn - Dan's Contact
Mark Jeffrey Miller	...	Quinn's Sidekick
Mike Pniewski	...	Businessman
Cara Stoner	...	Jane
Michael Burgess	...	Security Officer
David S. Jung	...	Computer Maven #1 (as David Jung)
Steve Vernon	...	Computer Maven #2
Keith Flippen	...	Audience Member #1
Jon Rosen	...	Audience Member #2
Gil Johnson	...	Plainclothes Cop
Nicole Arnold	...	Exotic Dancer
Dean Mumford	...	Bouncer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cara Buono	...	Christina Painter (unconfirmed)
Monty C. Floyd	...	FBI Agent (unconfirmed)
Alexis Kasperavicius	...	Alex Lowe's Hacker Friend (unconfirmed)
David F. Maxwell	...	Council Secretary (unconfirmed)
Shaun O'Rourke	...	Computer Conference Host (unconfirmed)
Race Owen	...	'T' Mitnick Tech (unconfirmed)
Mitch Pileggi	...	Bruce Koball (unconfirmed)
David Schifter	...	Scott Michaels (unconfirmed)
Tsutomu Shimomura	...	Hacker (uncredited)

Directed by
Joe Chappelle

Writing credits (WGA)
Tsutomu Shimomura		(book "Takedown") and
John Markoff		(book "Takedown")
David Newman		(screenplay) &
Leslie Newman		(screenplay) and
John Danza		(screenplay) and
Howard A. Rodman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Danny Dimbort	....	executive producer
Dave Duce	....	assistant producer
Denise Leong	....	co-producer
Avi Lerner	....	executive producer
Mary Montiforte	....	line producer
Andrew Rona	....	executive producer
Ric Rondell	....	line producer
Scott Shiffman	....	co-producer
Tsutomu Shimomura	....	co-executive producer
John Thompson	....	producer
Bob Weinstein	....	executive producer
Harvey Weinstein	....	executive producer
Brad Weston	....	producer

Original Music by
Chris Holmes
James Kole

Cinematography by
Dermott Downs

Film Editing by
Joe Rabig

Casting by
Lisa Mae Fincannon
Ed Mitchell
Robyn Ray

Production Design by
Jon Gary Steele

Art Direction by
Dawn Serody

Set Decoration by
Tessa Posnansky

Costume Design by
Terry Dresbach

Makeup Department
JoJo Guthrie	....	hair stylist
Thomas Holland	....	makeup assistant
Vickie Mynes	....	hair stylist
Rick Pour	....	makeup artist: Skeet Ulrich

Production Management
Todd Gilbert	....	post-production supervisor
Ric Rondell	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Anthony Hemingway	....	second assistant director
Larry Lerner	....	second assistant director
Allan Wertheim	....	first assistant director
Michele Ziegler	....	first assistant director

Art Department
C.W. Bellisle	....	set dresser
Rufus Best Jr.	....	propmaker
Rufus Best	....	construction coordinator
E. Lawrence Brew	....	set dresser
Shannon Brock	....	set dresser
Jason Brooks	....	painter
Adam Cameron	....	set dresser
Clovis Chamberet	....	scenic lead man
Tony DiSalvo	....	property labor
Matt Fann	....	on-set dresser
Brian Avery Galligan	....	on-set dresser
Thomas Hicks Jr.	....	property buyer
Robin Jones	....	construction foreman
Gerald Kern	....	propmaker
Stephanie Kern	....	painter
Ted J. Koch	....	property master (as Ted Koch)
Gary Land	....	propmaker
Simone Lueck	....	art department production assistant
Michael Marcelli	....	set dresser
Gregory Messer	....	set dresser
Tom Miller	....	property lead man
Mari Phillips	....	assistant property master
Johnathan Quinn	....	painter
Danielle Simpson	....	scenic buyer
Barry Spencer	....	construction foreman
Brian Stultz	....	co-art director
Matthew Sullivan	....	lead man
Brent Triplett	....	art department coordinator

Sound Department
C. Douglas Cameron	....	boom operator (as Doug Cameron)
Ryan Davidson	....	adr recordist
Susan Demskey	....	dialogue editor (as Susan Demskey-Horiuchi)
Ronald Eng	....	sound editor (as Ron Eng)
Richard C. Franklin	....	sound effects supervisor (as Rick Franklin)
Emily Gaydos	....	dialogue editor
Richard Kite	....	boom operator
Greg Mauer	....	foley mixer
Ronnie Morgan	....	sound effects assistant editor
Howard Neiman	....	sound editor
Bruce Nyznik	....	adr editor
Bruce Nyznik	....	adr supervisor
Rick Owens	....	foley artist
Susan Pusateri	....	foley artist
Paul Ratajczak	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Ratajczak	....	sound supervisor
Michael Rayle	....	cable person
Buck Robinson	....	sound mixer
Carl Rudisill	....	sound mixer
Angie Stanghetti	....	foley editor
Eric Thorngren	....	sound re-recording mixer
Marc Verboys	....	adr editor
Jonathan Wales	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christopher T. Welch	....	sound editor (as Chris Welch)

Special Effects by
Walter Kiesling	....	special effects technician
Michael Schorr	....	special effects coordinator
Michael Schutte	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Christopher Dusendschon	....	in-show optical compositor: THDX (uncredited)
Christopher Dusendschon	....	optical element color timer: THDX (uncredited)

Stunts
John Copeman	....	stunt coordinator
Chuck Flynn	....	utility stunts
Scott Hinson	....	stunt double
Denis Larouche	....	stunt driver
Dino Muccio	....	stunt driver
Dean Mumford	....	stunt driver
Amy Parrish	....	stunt double
Andre Walker	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Aldridge	....	first assistant camera
Eric Bartsch	....	key grip
Neil Beard	....	electrician
Nils Benson	....	second assistant camera
Eddie Bowlin	....	best boy
Stephen Brock	....	gaffer
Matthew Brookman	....	electrician (as Matt Brookman)
Jan Bruggeman	....	camera loader
Bret Caldwell	....	grip
Scott Canfield	....	electrician
Simon Carey	....	electrician
Kelly Curry	....	best boy
Joe D'Alessandro	....	camera operator: "b" camera (as Joseph D'Alessandro)
Kevin Davis	....	grip (as Kevin 'Cuz' Davis)
Scott R. Davis	....	crane grip (as Scott Davis)
Linda DeFrancesco	....	grip
Glen Deitell	....	first assistant camera
Joseph Dianda	....	grip
Frank P. Flynn	....	camera operator: "b" camera (as Frank Flynn)
Ted Ford III	....	grip
Mark Gilmer	....	second assistant camera
Laura Goldberg	....	second assistant camera
Jason Harris	....	camera loader
Billy Hendricks	....	electrician (as Billy Bob Hendricks)
Tom Hunt	....	grip
Kevin Jackson	....	dolly grip
Skip Karnas	....	electrician (as Albert Karnas)
David Kimelman	....	Steadicam operator
David Kimelman	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Bill Kosko	....	electrician
Michelle Leve	....	grip
David McMillan	....	electrician
Jeff Moore	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Thomas Nead	....	electrician (as Tom Nead)
Thomas C. Nisbet	....	electrician (as Tom Nisbet)
Carl 'Perk' Perkinson	....	first assistant camera
Michael Pescasio	....	dolly grip (as Mike Pescasio)
Brad 'Toaster Oven' Reeves	....	grip (as Brad Reeves)
Dennis E. Shelton	....	electrician (as Dennis Shelton)
Steven Skinner	....	grip
Michael Tackett	....	still photographer
Daniel Taylor	....	camera loader
Bobby Thomas	....	key grip
Dan Turek	....	second assistant camera (as Daniel Turek)
Bo Webb	....	first assistant camera
Elan Yaari	....	gaffer

Casting Department
Francine Decoursey	....	extras casting
Brook Merritt	....	extras casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Leslie Herman	....	wardrobe supervisor
Pie Lombardi	....	costumer
Bega Metzner	....	costumer
Susan Rhoden	....	seamstress
Keith Taylor	....	set costumer (as Michael 'Keith' Taylor Jr.)

Editorial Department
Saul Escobedo	....	color timer
Matthew Ramsey	....	assistant editor
Lorraine Samuel	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jerry Gilbert	....	music editor
Trevor Lane	....	music coordinator
Thomas Weems	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Victor Anderson	....	transportation captain (as Vic Anderson)
Chuck Flynn	....	transportation coordinator
Jimmy Humphreys	....	transportation captain (as Jim Humphreys)
Tom Lyons	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Taylor Ammons	....	assistant production coordinator
Lark Bernini	....	production coordinator
Barbara Branch	....	first assistant accountant
Barbara Branch	....	first assistant accountant
Steve Buhai	....	set production assistant
Blake Busby	....	graphic artist: titles
Keith E. Cooper	....	legal
A. Scott Dayton	....	office intern
Monty C. Floyd	....	stand-in
April H. Grantham	....	craft service (as April Grantham)
Michael Hale	....	office production assistant
Eleanor Hemingway	....	production coordinator
Therese Honeycutt	....	location scout
Meredith Humbracht	....	production assistant
Cody Jarrett	....	stand-in: Skeet Ulrich
Alexis Kasperavicius	....	technical advisor
Rick Kelly	....	co-key set production assistant
Renita King	....	office production assistant
Michael J. Leone	....	script supervisor
Robert Medema	....	location manager
Kevin Mitnick	....	inspired by
Sam Montiforte	....	post-production accountant
Eleanor Nichols	....	production coordinator
Catherine Nopper	....	stand-in
Leo Otero	....	stand-in
Race Owen	....	stand-in
Rudy A. Persico	....	co-key set production assistant (as Rudy Persico)
Angela Savidge	....	assistant: Mr. Chappelle
Ryan Schaetzle	....	assistant location manager
David Sitzman	....	contracts administrator
J. Bradley Smith	....	location manager
Peter Speakman	....	assistant: Mr. Weston
Patricia Story	....	publicist
Tara Weyr	....	accounting production assistant
Dee Whitehurst	....	script supervisor
Anne Wilson	....	accountant (as Anne Moosman)

Production Companies

• Dimension Films (presents)
• Millennium Films (in association with)
• Hacker Productions (copyright owner)

Distributors

• SND (2000) (France) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Dimension Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• One World Media (200?) (Germany) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2000) (Finland) (DVD)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2000) (Finland) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (200?) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies

Also Known As:

Hackers 2: Takedown (USA) (bootleg title)
Takedown: The Pursuit and Capture of Kevin Mitnick, America's Most Wanted Computer Outlaw (USA) (working title)
Track Down (USA) (DVD box title)
Asalto final (Spain) [es]
Caçada Virtual (Brazil) [pt]
Cybernetyczne sieci (Poland) (TV title) [pl]
Cybertr@que (France) [fr]
El estafador (Uruguay) (video title) [es]
Operaatio Takedown (Finland) [fi]
Operation Takedown (Sweden) (DVD title) [sv]

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

Germany:92 min | USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-7 | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:16 (video rating) | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | France:U | Germany:12 | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Editors of 2600 magazine (a hacker publication) learned of this film early in its development and were at the time campaigning for Kevin Mitnick's release from prison. They filmed the documentary "Freedom Downtime" as they tried to correct many glaring errors and personal attacks on Mitnick's character in the film, protesting outside Miramax offices in New York among other things.

Movie Connections:

References Sneakers (1992)

Soundtrack:

Stutter

surprisingly good

Stumbled upon TAKEDOWN's listing here on IMDB.com and had to check it out: I'd read Markoff and Shimomura's book back in grad school and thought it was okay (digression: there's a lot of debate in the hacker community about which book covers the Mitnick case best, and many say Markoff and Shimomura's book is extremely one-sided; Mitnick is guilty of nothing more than breaking into several large corporation's servers and poking around, trying out their code, they say. Whether this is a real crime, I leave that up to you dear reader).

As for TAKEDOWN, the movie: most flicks about computers teeter on one end or the other of the Reality Scale: they are either boring -- afterall, it's just a person typing at a computer -- or way too fantastical for anyone who's used any flavor of Unix to take seriously (e.g., THE MATRIX or the last HACKERS movie). TAKEDOWN straddles the line somewhere in the middle -- and admirably so.

What TAKEDOWN does very well is show the process of social engineering, e.g., talking someone into thinking you're someone you're not to get information. Mitnick mastered this skill. The real crux of TAKEDOWN, though, is the showdown between the two egos of Mitnick and Shimomura (bravo to Russell Wong -- wow, if Shimo really is that much of an arrogant jerk, I can see why he got under Mitnick's skin so much).

Skeet Ulrich is often called the Poor Man's Johnny Depp, but here's a role that was made for him. Joe Chappelle's direction is crisp and keeps the action tense. Minor complaint: The editor should have chilled out a bit though -- man, do we really need all those quick, jarring cuts? I supposed they were trying to make using a computer look interesting, cool and non-boring.

Overall, if you're into hacking, subcultures, law enforcement and computer crime, you should check this one out. It's too bad no one's seen this -- it must have been released direct-to-video; I don't even remember seeing ads in the paper for it.

P.S. keep an eye out for a brief appearance by Amanda Peet in a telling scene that hints at the REAL source of Mitnick's problems: LACK OF SOCIAL SKILLS!