10 films about geeks every techie should know

The modern world is unthinkable without information technology. Programmers use simple keystrokes to build walls of tricky code. The possibilities of artificial intelligence are increasing every day. Is it all safe? A selection of little-known films about computer scientists, presented below, will try to answer this question.

“The Network” (1995)

• KinoPoisk: 7.1.
• IMDb: 5,9.

An eccentric film that will make you think about the power of digital technology. The picture is literally saturated with paranoia that came with the dawn of technocratic civilization. The action movie takes viewers into the long-standing world of floppy disks and pixel screens. And all this is guided by a sinister conspiracy.

The plot revolves around Angela Bennett, a humble software developer who dreams of escaping her dull life. The girl rarely comes into contact with anyone other than her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. However, after the appearance of a mysterious floppy disk, which gives access to a rare computer security system, the heroine’s life changes dramatically. As things get out of hand, Angela learns that her identity has been erased. Will the heroine be able to understand the situation and return to her former life? Good question.

“Pirates of Silicon Valley” (1999)

• KinoPoisk: 7.5.
• IMDb: 7,2.

In the 80s of the last century, a couple of the most ordinary programmers tried to create in a small shabby room. Each of them had great ambitions and was sure that he could conquer the whole world. Actually, this is how it worked out in the end. Today the whole planet really knows about the creators of Apple and Microsoft.

The Silicon Valley Pirates focuses on the heated rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. The film tells the story of the parallel, but often intertwined, stories of two companies, whose friendly rivalry eventually grew into a confrontation between a pair of technological monsters.

“Dangerous Truth” (2001)

• KinoPoisk: 6.8.
• IMDb: 6,1.

Gary Winston, CEO of the ubiquitous company NURV, which many identify with Microsoft, hires a young programmer, Milo Hoffman. The guy is inspired by new perspectives, but he gets secret information about which he should not know. Milo realizes that in this organization he is just a pawn whose life means nothing.

One by one, talented programmers die on the team that Hoffman is assigned to. Nobody understands why this is happening, and no one wants to understand this, worrying about himself. Nevertheless, Milo is not ready to put up with such rules, and therefore challenges his boss and becomes a direct target of the billionaire.

“Social Network” (2010)

• KinoPoisk: 7.7.
• IMDb: 7,7.

Quentin Tarantino named “The Social Network” the best film of the 10s. Of course, this is a pretty big statement, as countless great pictures have been released over the decade. However, one cannot deny the fact that this is a fantastic drama about a project that, without exaggeration, turned the Internet upside down.

“The Social Network” tells the story of the creation of Facebook, as well as the relationship between Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin. It was these guys who grabbed luck by the tail, went to Harvard University and managed to create something incredible. Everything about this drama is beautiful: script, direction, performances and music. The plot jumps back and forth between modern scenes in the courtroom and memories – this film will definitely be of interest to everyone who, among other things, is interested in the topic of money and success.

“Personnel” (2013)

• KinoPoisk: 6.4.
• IMDb: 6,3.

Usually films about programmers are too serious and official. But all this does not concern “Kadrov”. This is a comedy about two failing buddies who, for some reason, decide they should work for Google. They are absolutely not worried about the complete lack of knowledge in the field of information technology. Nick and Billy sign up for an online university and audition for the company’s search committee. Of course, in real life, the chances of further success are zero, but in the film, miracles do happen.

Bill and Nick are taken aboard and taken to the corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley. The area is portrayed as the happiest place on earth with driverless cars, adult roller coasters and a free employee cafeteria. But Bill and Nick do not have time for such entertainment, because they are waiting for team tests that will help to choose only the best from the sea of ​​green newcomers.

“The Fifth Estate” (2013)

• KinoPoisk: 6.6.
• IMDb: 6,2.

The Fifth Estate is a feverishly poignant and gripping Bill Condon drama based on true events. The picture concerns WikiLeaks with its notorious founder, Australian anarchist journalist Julian Assange. The protagonist, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is a new type of information warrior, a kind of cyber-era Demoman.

Julian publishes materials that expose corruption, fraud and government violence. He receives a huge amount of secret documents from all over the world that change the outlook on life. WikiLeaks was launched in 2006, and during its existence, the site has published so much “dirty” information related to the activities of the American intelligence services that it’s scary to even think about it. In the end, the US government even proclaimed Julian Assange an enemy of the country, after which the journalist received political asylum in Ecuador.

“Out of the car” (2014)

• KinoPoisk: 7.1.
• IMDb: 7,7.

The idea of ​​humanoid robots and artificial intelligence has inspired artists for over a century. At the heart of such pictures is the question: what happens when people create something more intelligent than a person? The sci-fi movie Out of the Machine also brings up this theme.

The CEO invites a programmer to his country house to test the abilities of a humanoid robot named Ava. Here are just a simple experiment is gradually transformed into a psychological thriller. The viewer will have to understand who is telling the truth and who is manipulating: perhaps Ava is smarter than she seems. Paranoia is progressing every minute, because the plot twists systematically change the opinion about this or that hero.

Excellence (2014)

• KinoPoisk: 6.5.
• IMDb: 6,2.

The plot of the film is similar to the humorless version of Spike Jonze’s postmodern comedy “She”, which was mixed with the old science fiction novel “Donovan’s Brain”. The explosive cocktail, along with the acting of Johnny Depp, who plays a mathematical genius in the field of AI, makes you wonder about the scale of technological possibilities.

He is the gloomy doctor Will Caster, who, together with his wife Evel and faithful friend Max, decides to reverse all existing laws and upload his bio-form to the digital world. Together they manage to create a universal intelligent computer and transfer Will’s consciousness into it. Feelings of paranoia and fear fill every step on the path to success as the potentially uncontrollable essence of artificial intelligence continues to gain strength.

The Imitation Game (2014)

• KinoPoisk: 7.6.
• IMDb: 8.0.

It is not easy to be a genius – this fact is the basis of the film “The Imitation Game”. A war thriller based on a true story about the British mathematician Alan Turing. He became a pioneer of the time in information technology, found the key to the fascist encryption and changed the course of the Second World War. However, despite all this, his fate was very difficult.

While watching the film, the viewer constantly hears the ticking of the clock, which creates an alarm. It is amplified many times over due to the lack of obvious answers to the most important questions. Who is Alan Turing after all? How did he break one of the most secure ciphers in history? Why does the title of the picture include the word “game”? And the most incomprehensible – what are her rules? After the first viewing, the film is unlikely to reveal these and many other secrets.

Snowden (2016)

• KinoPoisk: 6.9.
• IMDb: 7,3.

Sometimes biographical films tell not so much about a real person as about what he is after all. It seems that the picture tells about the American whistleblower Edward Snowden, about his personal journey – from the US Army to the CIA, and then the NSA. However, the real purpose of the picture is different – it tells how the authorities spy on everyone.

The picture is saturated with an atmosphere of paranoia and fear. Snowden became a whistleblower for one of the largest illegal surveillance operations ever. And this story does not just show the dry facts of violation of the boundaries of personal space, but makes you feel, allows you to experience other people’s emotions and gain invaluable life experience.