Sneakers
An
Interdisciplinary
Motion Picture
Study Guide
For High School
Grades 9 – 12
By Daniel and
Rebecca Smith
Table of Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................3
The AIME Strategy ........................................................................................................................................3
Overview ........................................................................................................................................................3
Plot Synopsis ..................................................................................................................................................3
Characters (in order of appearance) ...............................................................................................................4
List of Scenes .................................................................................................................................................7
Activities (aligned to National Educational Technology Standards) .............................................................8
Student Movie Guide for Sneakers ..................................................................................................15
Student Movie Guide for Sneakers – Answer Key ..........................................................................16
Additional Resources ...................................................................................................................................17
Movie Details ...................................................................................................................................17
National Curriculum Standards ........................................................................................................17
North Carolina Curriculum Standards .............................................................................................17
Trailer ...............................................................................................................................................17
In Scene 1: December 1969, Cosmo and Marty
play the shell game to see who goes out for pizza.
In Scene 2: Night Moves, the new clients discuss
Marty’s team members including Mother here.
In Scene 5: Word Games, the code breaker is
reflected in Whistler’s glasses.
In Scene 7: The Handoff, Marty is called back to
the car by Crease who realizes they’ve been setup.
2
Introduction
This study guide is intended for grades 9 – 12, but this by no means excludes this movie from being used
as a learning vehicle for other grade levels. Sneakers is rated PG-13 for brief sexual references. Teachers
should follow the AIME strategy (explained below) when implementing this study guide to maximize the
educational learning potential and understanding for students.
The activities in this guide align with the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS).
Focus areas are in computers, information skills, and technology literacy. These activities can be modified
as needed by the teacher based on student aptitude and prior knowledge.
The AIME Strategy
This movie guide has been developed through the use of AIME, the Amount of
Invested Mental Energy. Its origins come from Gavriel Salomon’s Interaction of
Media and Cognition and Learning (1979).
Salomon’s research shows that students who have not been prepared for a
multimedia experience engage in what he calls shallow processing. When teachers
give directions prior to screening and include time for discussion and reflection on
the material afterward, students retain the knowledge better and are more
cognitively aware during the screening process. The best strategy to implement this
scenario is to show short video segments and follow up with class discussion.
Gavriel Salomon
Overview
Sneakers is a light-hearted heist movie with plenty of comedy and romance about computers, hacking,
ethics, government espionage, security, secrets, cryptography, deception, betrayal, and little black boxes.
The characters model critical thinking skills and creative thinking about technology. On an ethical level,
it’s an account of how computers have changed our daily lives both for the better and for the worse.
Despite the fact that its debut was back in 1992, Sneakers has aged surprisingly well. The surveillance
techniques and other technical aspects that appear in the movie can still be found today nearly two
decades later. One wonders how this movie got so much so right so early.
Plot Synopsis
Marty is the leader of an unlikely team of professional computer hackers that hire themselves out to
company executives in order to test their company security systems. This happens to be a real job called
Sneaking (as opposed to Hacking, Cracking, or Phreaking) hence the title.
Based in San Francisco, the team is contacted by two NSA agents
who want them to steal a top-secret black box containing a
homemade computer chip capable of breaking any secret code.
The team decides to accept the job and eventually acquires the
black box. Once they discover what the chip is capable of doing,
they become entanglement in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse
between the National Security Agency and organized crime who
also want possession of the chip.
Marty’s Team
They end up handing the chip over to the wrong people and must recover it to clear their good names and
prevent themselves from going to jail inside the high-stakes world of government espionage.
3
Characters (in order of appearance)
The character of Martin Bishop, better known as 'Marty', is
played by Robert Redford.
Marty is the leader of the team. His interest in computers
started way back in 1969 when he was almost arrested for
electronically breaking into a bank with his friend Cosmo. He
went out for pizza and then went to Canada. His last name used
to be Brice, but he changed it to Bishop in order to elude the
law.
He returned to the states as an adult but has been hiding out
from the FBI ever since.
The character of Donald Crease is played by Sidney Poitier.
The team calls him 'Crease' for short and short is the word for
his temper. He's brash and often comes on as uncaring, yet he's
got a soft side too. He's devoted to the team and is the only
member with a family.
As a former CIA operative, he's the responsible type and takes
the initiative in keeping the team out of trouble with the law.
Nobody knows why he left the CIA though.
The character of Erwin Emory, better known as 'Whistler', is
played by David Strathairn.
Whistler is a computer whiz. He's has one problem though –
he's completely blind! Most people would consider this a
severe disability, but Whistler has turned it into an advantage.
He has developed his hearing to a fine point.
Some would say that he's the most observant member of the
team.
4
The character of Mother is played by Dan Aykroyd.
Mother is a conspiracy-theorist. He has an explanation for
everything. As long as you don't get him started about how
NASA faked the moon landings, you'll get along great with
him.
He's really a great guy with lots of connections. No matter
what obstacle gets in the team's way, Mother is right there with
an idea for a plan of attack from a colleague. And if that
doesn't work, he's prepared to do whatever is necessary, take
one for the team, and dive right in.
Even garbage.
The character of Carl Arbegast is played by River Phoenix.
Carl is a nineteen-year-old computer prodigy. The team caught
him breaking into his high school computer system to change
his grades. What did they do when he graduated? Hire him, of
course! His mad computer skills are hard to find.
As the youngest member of the team he gets a lot of gopher
work making deliveries and going undercover, but there's no
denying he's a pro with the computer contacts he keeps in his
little black book.
The character of Liz is played by Mary McDonnell.
Liz is Marty's ex-girlfriend and the focus of a subtle, romantic
sub-plot in the movie. As a piano teacher, she also happens to
be technically minded and able to understand higher
mathematical theory. She's initially cool toward Marty's
advances when he just shows up at her home one day, but she
warms back up to him by the end of the movie.
In a few words, Liz is meticulous, refined, and anal. Oh, and
it's never a good time for her mother to come for a visit when
Marty is around. There are always too many wires and too
much garbage in her apartment.
5
The character of Dr. Gunter Janek is played by Donal Logue.
Dr. Janek is a genius mathematician. Over the course of his
research, he stumbled onto a monumental discovery - a
decryption algorithm that can potentially break any electronic
code! He hardwired the algorithm into a homemade computer
chip in a black box and this is the subject of the main plot.
Mindful of the damage this discovery could cause in the wrong
hands, Marty and his team are hired by two NSA agents to
steal the black box. That's when the plot takes an interesting
twist – to the detriment of our poor mathematician.
The character of Cosmo is played by Ben Kingsley.
Cosmo and Marty go way back to 1969. Back then, when they
were hacking into the banking system, it was Cosmo who
stayed behind while Marty went out for Pizza. He paid dearly
for it too. The cops came and arrested him. Marty thought he
died in prison, but things aren't always what they seem
regarding Cosmo.
It seems he came through prison all right after all. He even
made some friends while he was there on the inside.
The character of Dr. Werner Brandes is played by Stephen
Tobolowsky.
His automobile tag says it all, “180 IQ”. He may be really
smart, but he's also really dumb. The team dupes him into
helping them gain entry into the building where the black box
is being kept.
Of course, they have to use Liz to do it!
6
List of Scenes
1. December 1969
a. (Main Titles) (0:25)
b. Young Marty and Cosmo (1:14)
2. Night Moves
b. Liz’ Apartment (1:06:33)
c. Calling the NSA (1:08:57)
10. Listening Back
a. Finding Cosmo (1:12:18)
a. Bank Job (5:10)
b. PlayTronics Surveillance (1:16:44)
b. Bank Executives Meeting (9:48)
c. The Man Trap (1:17:48)
3. Customers
11. The World's Most Boring Human
a. New Clients (10:57)
a. The Office Neighbor (1:19:31)
b. The Deal (14:21)
b. Werner’s Trash (1:21:22)
c. Confessions to the Team (17:19)
c. Dim Sum Bar Date (1:22:50)
d. Reunion with Liz (19:09)
d. Cosmo’s Motion Sensors (1:24:09)
4. Eye on Dr. Janek
a. Dr. Janek’s Lecture (21:26)
e. Check, Please (1:25:22)
12. Sneaking Around
b. The Reception with Greg (22:33)
a. Preparing the Sneak (1:26:56)
c. Surveillance on Janek (25:02)
b. The Second Date (1:30:00)
d. Reviewing the Tapes (27:52)
c. “Werner” Goes In (1:31:12)
e. Breaking and Entering (29:37)
d. The Pooch and the Purse (1:35:21)
f. Caught in the Act (32:36)
13. Complications
g. Celebrating the Sneak (36:19)
a. Werner’s Office (1:36:28)
h. Plans for the Money (38:01)
b. The Alarm Sounds (1:41:26)
5. Word Games (39:16)
6. Too Many Secrets
c. Cosmo’s Deal (1:43:30)
14. The Deal Falls Through
a. Accessing the Impossible (43:28)
a. Carl Drops In (1:45:40)
b. Security and a Sleepover (46:31)
b. Escape to the Roof (1:47:53)
7. The Handoff
a. Janek’s Dead (49:33)
c. Whistler to the Rescue (1:49:09)
15. It's All About The Information
b. Checking out the Clients (52:03)
a. Rooftop Showdown (1:52:11)
c. Meeting Greg (53:30)
b. Meeting with the NSA (1:55:25)
8. Who to Trust
a. Greg’s Consulate Car (55:19)
b. Blackout and Trunk Ride (58:31)
9. Reunion
c. A Few Demands (1:56:59)
16. In the Chips
a. Marty’s Handoff (2:00:01)
b. (End Titles) (2:01:24)
a. Cosmo’s Office (59:38)
7
Activities (aligned to National Educational Technology Standards)
NETS Standard
Activity
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products
and processes using technology. Students:
a) apply existing
In Scene 4: Eye on Dr. Janek (c-d), Whistler uses his incredible
knowledge to
observation skills with the surveillance of Janek's office to locate the
generate new
black box.
ideas, products, or
1. Before Viewing: Tell students that the surveillance team is
processes.
trying to locate a black box.
2. While Viewing: Pause after showing the initial taping of the
surveillance. Ask if any students have identified the black box.
3. After Viewing: Ask students if the caught the discrepancy that
allowed Whistler to identify the black box. Why was Whistler
successful and how can we learn from his success?
b) create original
No matching scenes.
works as a means
of personal or
group expression.
c) use models and
simulations to
explore complex
systems and
issues.
In Scene 5: Word Games, Marty and Liz use the letters from a
Scrabble game to decipher the anagram “Setec Astronomy” into “Too
Many Secrets”.
1. Before Viewing: The movie doesn’t make the spelling of
“Setec Astronomy” clear. Write it out for the students. Explain
anagrams. Ask students what strategies exist for solving them.
2. While Viewing: Ask if any students considered a scrabble
game. What words did Marty and Liz come up with?
3. After Viewing: Ask students if the scrabble pieces were
effective?
In Scene 10: Listening Back (c), Crease obtains a “Man Trap” Digital
Voice Recognition Monitor like the one in Cosmo's building to practice
with.
1. Before Viewing: Explain voice recognition technology.
2. While Viewing: Ask students if this is effective. Can the
students devise a way around it?
3. After Viewing: Ask students to explain how this technology
protects against unauthorized entry. Are there better methods
available today?
In Scene 11: The World's Most Boring Human (d), Crease obtains a
Motion Sensor like the ones in Cosmo's office for Marty to practice
with.
1. Before Viewing: Explain motion sensor technology.
2. While Viewing: Ask students if this is effective. Can the
students devise a way around it?
3. After Viewing: Ask students to explain how this technology
protects against unauthorized entry. Are there better methods
available today?
d) identify trends
and forecast
possibilities.
No matching scenes.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively,
including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Students:
a) interact,
In Scene 4: Eye on Dr. Janek (f), Marty uses an ear piece to maintain
collaborate, and communication with his surveillance team after he is caught in Janek's
publish with
office by Dr. Rhyzkov.
peers, experts, or
1. Before Viewing: Explain to students that Marty is breaking into
others employing
an office to retrieve a black box. He’s wearing an ear piece.
a variety of digital
2. While Viewing: Students should carefully observe the two
environments and
conversations going.
media.
3. After Viewing: Was the explanation given to Dr. Rhyzkov the
result of a true collaborative effort? Why or why not?
In Scene 9: Reunion (c), Marty's team calls the NSA to strike a deal
using a modem and a telephone connected to a voice scrambler.
1. Before Viewing: Explain to students that Marty’s team is
attempting to place an untraceable phone call to a government
agency.
2. While Viewing: Ask the students to identify all the technology
shown in the clip.
3. After Viewing: The technology in the clip was state-of-the-art
back in 1992 when the movie was released. How has
technology changed? How do we communicate today?
b) communicate
In Scene 4: Eye on Dr. Janek (a-b), Dr. Janek gives a lecture on
information and mathematical theory with implications for cryptography.
ideas effectively
1. Before Viewing: Ask students what they think the perfect
to multiple
lesson would be like.
audiences using a
2. While Viewing: Students should grade Dr. Janek’s performance
variety of media
by carefully observing everything he says and does.
and formats.
3. After Viewing: Was Dr. Janek an effective presenter? What did
he do right and what did he do wrong? What could be
improved?
9
c) develop cultural In Scene 4: Eye on Dr. Janek (b) and Scene 7: The Handoff (c),
understanding and Marty meets up with his friend Greg at the reception following Janek's
global awareness lecture and later at the musical performance.
by engaging with
1. Before Viewing:
learners of other
2. While Viewing: Students should look for clues to Greg’s
cultures.
nationality. Keep in mind that the movie was released in 1992.
3. After Viewing: Where was Greg from and how do you know?
What was happening in that country in that time period? Is
there an equivalent to the Kiev String Quartet in our country?
d) contribute to
project teams to
produce original
works or solve
problems.
In Scene 14: The Deal Falls Through (c), Marty guides Whistler in
driving the team van to execute a daring rescue.
1. Before Viewing: Explain to students that Whistler is blind –
presumably since birth. He, Marty, Crease, and Mother are all
teammates in trouble. They must work together to escape.
2. While Viewing: Problems are rarely simple ordeals. Most
require multiple steps to solve. Students should observe the
dialogue between Marty and Whistler to identify the steps they
followed to solve their problems.
3. After Viewing: Marty’s knowledge and Whistler’s availability
combined to help the team escape. Neither could have done it
alone. Have you ever been part of a team in which the
necessary knowledge and skills were divided among members?
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
a) plan strategies to
guide inquiry.
In Scene 4: Eye on Dr. Janek (c), the team conducts surveillance on
the mathematician to discover the whereabouts of the black box.
1. Before Viewing: Students need to know that Marty’s team was
hired to find the black box. Their first strategy is to put Dr.
Janek under surveillance.
2. While Viewing: What strategies does Marty’s team use to find
out more about Dr. Janek and the location of the black box?
3. After Viewing: Is this an effective way of gathering
information? Legal? Ethical? Wise?
In Scene 10: Listening Back (b) and Scene 11: The World's Most
Boring Human (a), the team conducts surveillance on Playtronics
Corporate Headquarters to discover a way to retrieve the black box.
1. Before Viewing: Marty’s team knows that getting into Cosmo’s
office means getting close to it. Getting into the office next door
is their best option.
2. While Viewing: What strategies does Marty’s team use to find
out more about Cosmo’s office neighbor?
3. After Viewing: What would you have done if faced with a
similar scenario? How would you go about planning a way to
retrieve something protected in this way?
10
b) locate, organize, In Scene 11: The World's Most Boring Human (b), Mother brings
analyze, evaluate, back garbage from Werner's house to learn more about him.
synthesize, and
1. Before Viewing: Students should know what Marty’s team
ethically use
needs to do, who Werner is, and how he fits into their plan.
information from
2. While Viewing: What can you find out about a person from
a variety of
their garbage? What do you know about Werner?
sources and
3. After Viewing: Is this effective? Legal? Ethical? Wise?
media.
c) evaluate and
In Scene 4: Eye on Dr. Janek (e), Marty is confronted with an
select information electronic keypad on Janek's office door.
sources and
1. Before Viewing: Students need a basic understanding of the
digital tools based
plot and a basic knowledge of the first gulf war.
on the
2. While Viewing: Where does Marty’s team go to find a
appropriateness to
solution? Would you have done the same?
specific tasks.
3. After Viewing: Where do you go to find answers to your
questions and solutions to your problems? Do you limit
yourself to certain media types or information sources? Is this
wise?
d) process data and
report results.
In Scene 11: The World's Most Boring Human (a), Mother identifies
Werner as the owner of the office next to Cosmo.
1. Before Viewing: What does it mean to be objective? What is
the opposite of objective?
2. While Viewing: Students should carefully observe what
Mother says and brings up on the monitor.
3. After Viewing: Mother concisely and objectively details the
steps that went into the identification. What makes his dialogue
so objective? What part of his dialogue, if any, was subjective?
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve
problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
Students:
a) identify and
define authentic
problems and
significant
questions for
investigation.
In Scene 1: December 1969 (b) and Scene 9: Reunion (a), Marty and
Cosmo play a logic game to identify problems and solutions.
1. Before Viewing: Students should know that they are about to
view dialogue containing a logic game.
2. While Viewing: There is a three step pattern to the logic game.
What are the steps in this pattern?
3. After Viewing: Is this logic game trustworthy or can it lead to
the wrong conclusions? Can it help develop creative thought?
11
b) plan and manage In Scene 2: Night Moves (a), Marty's team executes a strategy for
activities to
gaining entry into the target bank after hours.
develop a solution
1. Before Viewing: Students should know who Marty’s team is
or complete a
and what they do. Showing the next scene with the bank
project.
executives would be useful.
2. While Viewing: What is the minimum number of people
necessary to accomplish this heist? What were the jobs?
3. After Viewing: What steps were involved in accomplishing this
bank sneak? Do most problems require steps with this level of
detail? Was this level of detail required?
In Scene 10: Listening Back (c), Crease explains what they need to
get past the Voice Recognition Booth. Later, in Scene 11: The World's
Most Boring Human (a-c), they execute a strategy to identify Werner,
record his voice, and borrow his card to outwit the security device.
1. Before Viewing: Students should know who Marty’s team is
and what they are trying to do.
2. While Viewing: What did it take to outmaneuver the Voice
Recognition Booth? Who is in danger of being exposed?
3. After Viewing: Their strategy was successful. Would it work
today? How about with modern technology? What would you
have done in Marty’s place?
c) collect and
In Scene 7: The Handoff (b), after learning of Janek's death the team
analyze data to
knows that something is terribly wrong and looks into the identities of
identify solutions their two current clients.
and/or make
1. Before Viewing: Marty and his team have just learned that
informed
they’ve been had. It’s time they found out who they were
decisions.
working for.
2. While Viewing: Marty’s team networks with colleagues to find
the answer and this shows the specialty of each member. Who
would you be if you were one of the team members?
3. After Viewing: What is the moral? What did Marty do when
the normal channels of information yielded no results?
d) use multiple
processes and
diverse
perspectives to
explore
alternative
solutions.
In Scene 10: Listening Back (a), Whistler uses his observation skills
with Marty's memories to retrace his steps back to Cosmo's office.
1. Before Viewing: Students should know that Whistler is blind
and that Marty has just been hit on the head, thrown into the
trunk of a car, and driven somewhere.
2. While Viewing: When normal means of inquiry fail, use
unusual ones. How did Whistler keep Marty talking until he
uncovered something that could be used?
3. After Viewing: Who is the most observant person on Marty’s
team? What makes this individual so successful? How can we
emulate him?
12
5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice
legal and ethical behavior. Students:
a) advocate and
In Scene 1: December 1969 (b), young Marty and Cosmo are breaking
practice safe,
into banks and moving money around. In Scene 2: Night Moves (a-b),
legal, and
adult Marty is still breaking into banks.
responsible use of
1. Before Viewing: Students need to know that Marty and Cosmo
information and
are both computer geeks and they are familiar with crime.
technology.
2. While Viewing: Students should compare the two scenes based
on the actions of the participants and the consequences of those
actions, if any.
3. After Viewing: In the first scene, young Marty and Cosmo are
acting illegally. In the second, Marty is acting with the full
knowledge of the bank's executives as a way to test their
security. Do you think Marty learned something in between
scenes?
In Scene 4: Eye on Dr. Janek (e), the team breaks into Janek's office
to steal the black box.
1. Before Viewing: Students need to know about Marty’s team
and what they are trying to do.
2. While Viewing: How many crimes and unethical actions are
committed in order to break into Janek’s office?
3. After Viewing: Which actions of Marty’s team are illegal?
Unethical? Unsafe? Irresponsible?
b) exhibit a positive Illustrated throughout movie.
attitude toward
using technology
that supports
collaboration,
learning, and
productivity.
c) demonstrate
No matching scenes.
personal
responsibility for
lifelong learning.
d) exhibit leadership In Scene 3: Customers (c), Marty's team rallies behind him with the
for digital
black box job offer.
citizenship.
1. Before Viewing: In this scene, Marty rallies his troops by
putting his leadership into practice.
2. While Viewing: How does Marty respond to each objection
and criticism?
3. After Viewing: What leadership qualities does Marty possess?
What can we learn from him? Are any qualities outdated now
that we have better technology?
13
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.
Students:
a) understand and
use technology
systems.
Illustrated throughout movie.
b) select and use
applications
effectively and
productively.
No matching scenes.
c) troubleshoot
systems and
applications.
In Scene 2: Night Moves (a), Carl accidentally clips the wrong wire in
the bank plunging the team into darkness.
1. Before Viewing: Students should know who Marty’s team is
and what they are doing.
2. While Viewing: Students should determine what went wrong
and when. Who is responsible?
3. After Viewing: How did the team react? Why do you suppose
they reacted that way? Should they have reacted differently?
In Scene 12: Sneaking Around (c), Marty's tape recorder accidentally
plays back Werner's voice too fast in the Voice Recognition Booth.
1. Before Viewing: Students should know who Marty is, where
he’s at, and what he’s doing there.
2. While Viewing: Students should determine what went wrong
and when. Who is responsible?
3. After Viewing: What do you do when things go wrong? Was
Marty’s response appropriate? Could this have been avoided
with modern technology?
d) transfer current
knowledge to
learning of new
technologies.
In Scene 5: Word Games, Whistler and Carl sit down with the new
chip to see what it can do while Marty and Liz play scrabble. In Scene
6: Too Many Secrets (a), Whistler tests out the new chip with Carl's
black book of inaccessible sites.
1. Before Viewing: Students should know about Marty’s team and
what they’ve just achieved.
2. While Viewing: How do Whistler and Carl tackle
understanding the chip? What strategies do they use? How
about Marty and Liz? What do they use that’s nearby?
3. After Viewing: How do you learn something new or go about
solving a problem? Is it useful to test your knowledge after
acquiring something new?
14
Student Movie Guide for Sneakers
1. In the opening scene, what are Marty and Cosmo doing?
2. Why does Marty not get arrested?
3. What is Marty's current job?
4. What are the nicknames of the members on Marty's team?
5. What convinces Marty to retrieve the "black box" for the two NSA guys?
6. What does Liz say that Dr. Gunter Janek’s lecture is about?
7. Who is the most observant person in Marty's group?
8. What is the black box disguised as?
9. How does Marty get past the keypad on Janek’s door?
10. In the scrabble game, what anagram do Marty and Liz make from Setec Astronomy?
11. What can Janek’s black box do?
12. What happens to Janek after the box is stolen?
13. Who does Cosmo really work for?
14. In Marty’s memory of his trunk ride, what does the "cocktail party” turn out to be?
15. What “material” does Marty's group use to learn about Werner Brandes?
16. When Liz is having dinner with Werner, what is she really trying to do?
17. What limitations are placed on Marty when he tries to recover the black box?
18. Who saves Marty and Liz when they are captured in Cosmo’s office?
19. Who drives the van during their escape from Cosmo?
20. Who really ends up with the power of the “black box?”
15
Student Movie Guide for Sneakers – Answer Key
1. In the opening scene, what are Marty and Cosmo doing? Illegally breaking into
banks and transferring money
2. Why does Marty not get arrested? He lost the bet and had to go out for pizza. He
then ran away to Canada and changed his name to Bishop from Brice.
3. What is Marty's current job? Sneaker. Bank Teller: “So people hire you to break
into their places - to make sure no one can break into their places?”
4. What are the nicknames of the members on Marty's team? Carl, Mother, Whistler, Crease
5. What convinces Marty to retrieve the "black box" for the two NSA guys? They offer him a deal. They’ll
either clean up his past or put him in prison.
6. What does Liz say that Dr. Gunter Janek’s lecture is about? Math; Cryptography; Unbreakable codes
7. Who is the most observant person in Marty's group? Whistler
8. What is the black box disguised as? An answering machine
9. How does Marty get past the keypad on Janek’s door? He kicks it in
10. In the scrabble game, what anagram do Marty and Liz make from Setec Astronomy? Too Many Secrets
11. What can Janek’s black box do? Break unbreakable codes
12. What happens to Janek after the box is stolen? He’s killed
13. Who does Cosmo really work for? Organized crime
14. In Marty’s memory of his trunk ride, what does the "cocktail party” turn out to be? Birds at the reservoir
15. What “material” does Marty's group use to learn about Werner Brandes? His trash
16. When Liz is having dinner with Werner, what is she really trying to do? Get him to say the words in
the pass-phrase: “Hi, my name is Werner Brandes. My voice is my passport. Verify me.”
17. What limitations are placed on Marty when he tries to recover the black box? He can only move at 2
inches per second and the room must be 98.6° or body temperature.
18. Who saves Marty and Liz when they are captured in Cosmo’s office? Carl
19. Who drives the van during their escape from Cosmo? Whistler
20. Who really ends up with the power of the “black box?” Marty and his team
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Additional Resources
Movie Details
Additional movie information is available online at the following link:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105435/
National Curriculum Standards
In the United States, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) maintains the National
Educational Technology Standards (NETS) online at the following link:

http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS
North Carolina Curriculum Standards
North Carolina maintains its curriculum standards at the following links:

http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/
Trailer
The original trailer (2:32) is available online and can be viewed at the following link:

http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/screenplay/vi931725593/
In Scene 9: Reunion, Cosmo and Marty discuss
information and play a logic game.
In Scene 11: The World’s Most Boring Human,
Liz and Werner go out on a date to a Dim Sum Bar.
In Scene 11: The World’s Most Boring Human,
Marty’s team discusses getting past motion sensors.
In Scene 12: Sneaking Around, Marty enters the
man trap voice recognition booth.
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