← Sneakers

Two printed sides. Print double sided, or print the back separately.

Name: Period: Date:

Movie: Sneakers

Directed by Phil Alden Robinson | Universal Pictures (1992) | Rated PG-13 | 126 minutes

There are two sides to this worksheet. Do both sides!

Part 1: Watch and Learn (answer while watching)

Circle the best answer.

  1. In the 1969 opening, what do the two college friends do with a computer?

    • A) Change their grades
    • B) Secretly move money out of an account and give it to causes they support
    • C) Sell secrets to another country
    • D) Win a programming contest

  2. What is the job of Martin's team?

    • A) Stealing for profit
    • B) Being paid to break into places to show the owners their weak spots
    • C) Working for the NSA
    • D) Repairing computers

  3. What do the men who say they are NSA agents ask the team to steal?

    • A) A bank's cash
    • B) A black box that can break the codes protecting computer networks
    • C) The president's laptop
    • D) A satellite

  4. What does the team learn after the theft?

    • A) The agents are real, and Cosmo died in 1969
    • B) The agents are impostors, and Martin's old friend Cosmo faked his death and wants the box
    • C) The box is empty
    • D) The box is a toy

  5. At the end, how does Martin make sure the NSA cannot use the box?

    • A) He throws it in the bay
    • B) He removes its key part, so it no longer works
    • C) He gives it to a newspaper
    • D) He sells it

Part 2: Think Like a Computer Scientist

  1. Testing Security: Martin's team is paid to break into places so the owners can fix the weak spots. What makes this a job and not a crime? Who has to give permission, and why does that matter?

  2. Attacks on People: Many of the team's best tricks work on people, not on computers (for example, pretending to be someone else or getting an access code from a person). Pick ONE trick from the movie and explain how a person or company could defend against it.

  3. Who Holds the Power?: The black box could break almost any code. Martin says no to Cosmo and he does not let the NSA keep it. Who, if anyone, should have a tool like that? What are the risks of each choice?

  4. Teamwork: Each team member has a different skill (Crease, Mother, Carl, Whistler). Pick two. Explain why the team needs both of them to pull off a job.

  5. Personal Connection: Which character in the movie do you think you are most like and why? (Martin, Crease, Mother, Carl, Whistler, Liz, Cosmo, or another character)