| Year | 2005 |
| Country | United States |
| Available | YouTube (Buy or Rent) |
| IMDb Rating | 5.4 / 10 |
| Themes | Malware, Hackers, Attackers, Government |
Overview
Blackhat is a 2015 American action thriller film produced and directed by Michael Mann and starring Chris Hemsworth, Tang Wei, Viola Davis, and Wang Leehom. The film premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 8, 2015, and was released in theaters on January 16. Blackhat was a box-office bomb, earning only $19.7 million at the box office against a budget of $70 million. The film received generally mixed reviews, with criticisms focused on casting and pace, though the film appeared on some critics’ year-end lists.
Plot
A nuclear plant in Chai Wan, Hong Kong, goes into meltdown when a hacker causes the coolant pumps to overheat and explode. Soon after, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange gets hacked, causing soy futures to rise. The Chinese government and FBI determine that the hack was performed using a remote access tool. Captain Chen Dawai of the People’s Liberation Army cyberwarfare unit is tasked with finding the hacker, and enlists the aid of his sister Lien, a networking engineer.
He meets with FBI Special Agent Carol Barrett in Los Angeles and reveals the code in the tool was written by himself and Nicholas Hathaway, his college roommate, during their time at MIT. Dawai requests that Hathaway, who is in prison for hacking banks, be offered a temporary release in exchange for his services.
Hathaway, knowing how necessary he is to the investigation, demands new terms: his prison sentence commuted if his assistance leads to the hacker’s identification and capture. He is required to wear an ankle bracelet monitor and be accompanied by deputy U.S. Marshal Mark Jessup.
