The Trailer:
Director: Baran bo Odar
Cast: Tom Schilling, Elyas M'Barek, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Antoine Monot Jr., Hannah Herzsprung, & Trine Dyrholm
Synopsis: Benjamin (Tom Schilling), a computer hacking genius, joins a computer hacking team in order to become noticed in the darknet hacking groups, especially an idolized hacker, MRX.
This movie is no way a cinematic masterpiece, but it is amazing. It's overall atmosphere and tone is similar to Fight Club, but no where near as masterful. And while that is true, I still thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Tom Schilling did a wonderful job as the shy, nervous computer "nerd" who seeks help from the cybercrime detective, Hanne Lindberg (Trine Dryhom), investigating the crimes performed by the Russian cyber mafia, Fr1ends, and the computer hacking group known as CLAY (which we later learn is the group Benjamin is apart of). The group of CLAY (acronym for Clowns Laughing At You) consists of four members; Benjamin, Max (Elyas M'Barek), Stephan (Wotan Wilke Möhring), and Paul (Antoine Monot Jr.). They start out with small computer hacking jobs, but soon realize that they are nothing but a joke to MRX (MRX is like a hacking legend/icon whom they all look up to). In order to impress MRX, they move onto bigger jobs such as hacking into the German Secret Service. Their job is simple: hack the German Secret Service's main server, leave a note for them in the form a hundreds of flyers inscribed with "CLAY was here. No System is Safe!" to be printed as soon as the server boots up the next morning. The mission was just to prove to the secret service that any server could be hacked and not to be too comfortable in their so-called security, they were definitely not supposed to take anything from the server. Benjamin, though, took data from the server to serve as proof of their work. But later in a angry drunken stupor— after seeing Max kissing Marie (Hannah Herzsrpung), the girl Benjamin has had a crush on since forever— Benjamin gives this data to MRX to prove that he is a somebody rather than the nobody that Max and the rest of CLAY claim he is. This simple act leads them into a dangerous game with MRX and the Fr1ends, who have now committed murder because of the data Benjamin stole.
I was on the edge of my seat, figuratively speaking, the entire time. And I was just as confused and incredulous as Hanne Lindberg was, while Benjamin is relating his story to her. All the holes and inconsistencies in his story left me wondering what really happened and how Benjamin is truly involved. And in the end with the double twists (yes, double twists!), I was also just as surprised as Lindberg. I didn't expect either of the twists, they were perfectly crafted and extremely believable. Also on another note, I really appreciated the consistent voice-over in this movie. The voice-overs always served a purpose and were never forgotten about as it is in some movies, where it starts with a voice-over but is never followed through with. I would absolutely watch this movie again, and of course I would recommend it to others!!
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