Far Fetched

Technology capabilities represented in the movie aside, I think the whole concept of corporate officials having such vast powers, high security clearances and freedoms within the NSA is a total load of crap. Honestly, by definition these corporate officers are inherently high security risks because their loyalties can be bought and sold. Its the nature of corporate officers to be loyal to whoever is paying them the most.

With "real" NSA employees you can give them periodic polygraphs, reviews, and you can monitor their habits and behaviors to see if they are acting suspiciously... but the way they just rubber stamped that one corporate prick character was rediculous.

I guess that's another complaint I have about this film and that is the card board cut out characters who are so predictable and stupid. We've got a silly power tripping corporate lacky as our main villain, an over the hill has been who is insubordinate and obviously no longer happy being at his job (would've been retired years before), a silly girl who is turning dials on equipment she most likely has no idea how it works (most people can barely program a vcr), Jack's superior who sends a text message to warn his friend (retarded and would never happen), an NSA turncoat who goes currying favor with the corporate prick is our minor co-villain, an Italian intel guy who is smart enough to hack into the NSA but too stupid to know this is not a simulation (ROFL), etc.

The film also made some rather rediculous claims about these NSA employees being underpaid. I guarantee you that any one of the characters we saw working there would be very well rewarded for their "service." You don't under pay people in such positions else you end up with jokers like Jack who pick up that axe they've been waiting to grind and cut you with it.

This movie only succeeds in one area and that is to increase people's awareness about potential capabilities of the NSA and five minutes worth of info about the budget, mandate and history of the NSA. Most of it is speculation (the real size of NSA and its budget is classified) but for some American's who haven't even heard of the NSA I think its at least somewhat informative anyway.

The fact is, the writers of this film didn't know enough about the NSA to really make a compelling movie about it. That's of course no surprise... its the NSA afterall.


update: btw, that scene where the drunken corporate execs get their brief case stolen with all the secret documents & manuals was rediculous. How fitting that an absurd movie is set in motion by an utterly absurd scenario.