Swordfish

Sure, there is the intimidating terrorist in Armani suits (John Travolta) playing Rambo in his sleek sports car with an overwhelming arsenal. There is also the scrubby-looking computer wiz (Hugh Jackman) playing Tiger Woods on the roof of his trashy trailer home, dreaming of saving his estranged daughter from the Porn King of L.A. after hacking into highly secured government funds. Plus, there’s the tough-talking head honcho of the cyber criminal task force (Don Cheadle) playing Dirty Harry in the testosterone-filled slow-mo explosions. But what good are these characters without a clever script to guide them? Writer Skip Woods merely provides flashy computer lingo that is tangled in a ridiculous rationalization of a multi-billion dollar heist as being a noble crusade that protects the freedom of humanity, and that also gives Halle Berry a way to receive a substantial pay raise for her first onscreen exhibition of her seemingly augmented chest. The performances make a moderate catch, but the script should be thrown back to sea.