Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Jacomedi A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Mohamed Abdalla If you expect to see breathtaking thriller movie,then don't watch this dull and pale one.The movie starts showing "Morgan Sullivan" applying for a job in a high tech company about spying job, but then he gets in contact with a woman that is going to change all his beliefs although her few show ups.The good thing that every time she shows up, she starts to explain to him about everything he doubts about.The image was really dark and pale throughout the movie except the last scene, it really wasn't an appealing thing to see that lack of coloration.The always surprising look on the face of "Jeremy Northam" is weird specially it's added with his tired look which really felt lazy and not related to any thrill. I guess "Lucy Liu" did her worst roles in this one.Finally, it's a good idea's movie that may keep you wondering throughout it -if you kept watching it till the end and succeed in fighting the boredom-, it has a lot of cheap special effects that really affect the quality of the whole movie, they also forgot to deal with sound effects specialist as you will notice that the soundtrack is a continuous repeating one minute suspension music.

UptownRox This isn't so much a review as a note on the visual style since it wasn't presented objectively in other reviews. If you love movies with stark visual elements like Aronofsky's PI, Cube, or Dark City, stop reading here, you'll probably love this movie.There was a time I savored the effect of high stylization that nears artwork, but I now find its presence a distraction to the story. That said, the visual elements here are so strong and so present that if you're not a fan, it's an impossible movie to watch. I thought the cast with two Hollywood actors would make it borderline Hollywood fare; it decidedly is not.For example, the opening sequence is shot in almost black and white, with actors staged unrealistically far apart with a very unnatural acting style, circa a comic book style. The black-and-white visual theme continues into the following scenes, as the protagonist seems to be the only living element moving freely. This is clearly a directing decision, and one that the viewer has to reconcile to enjoy. I believe the film would have benefited if it had, say, the same feel and the performers were allowed the same acting range as Truffaut's Fahrenheit-451. As it is the film makes sense that it was released for the anime-heavy Japanese audience.

Aditya Gokhale Director Vincenzo Natali's earlier "Cube" (1997) was a fascinating film, and that was reason enough to give "Cypher" (2002) a look."Cypher" makes a very intriguing start; a man named Morgan Sullivan (Jeremy Northam) is being interviewed by Digicorp's head of security and is being put through some neurological tests. He is being hired for corporate espionage and will soon be sent on missions to various conventions to secretly transmit corporate presentations for the benefit of Digicorp. He is given a new identity; that of Jack Thursby and his first assignment begins. It all seems fine in the beginning and Digicorp seems to be pleased with Sullivan's job. A chance encounter at the convention with a mysterious but beautiful stranger Rita (Lucy Liu) brings forth startling revelations and Sullivan finds that he could be caught in a deadly web of deceit amidst an ongoing cutthroat corporate war! Revealing more would take out whatever fun there is in watching "Cypher" for it is entirely a plot-driven film and it is the turns in the plot that keep it going.A terrific beginning doesn't always guarantee picture perfect masterpieces and "Cypher" proves just that. Further down, beneath the highly enticing exterior of brilliantly sleek cinematography, surreal camera-work and a background score that creates a sense of dread, there is great ambition that unfortunately succumbs under its own weight and finds itself settling into the comfort zone of a 'been there-done that' thriller which incorporates the essential ingredients of a typical edge-of-the-seat action/thriller.After a promising start, the film picks up a decent amount of momentum and does build tension to a considerable extent, enough to keep you hooked throughout, in its maze of twists and turns, that sometimes catch you unawares and sometimes come across as predictable. Certain twists are just too convenient for their own good, but you find yourself excusing them as you become increasingly curious to learn where it's all going to lead. There are hi-tech contraptions and otherworldly gadgets, a glass-eyed evil looking man who has to be an antagonist by design, odd shaped choppers and underground vaults in isolated locations, to access which, you have to use some fast capsule-shaped elevators that go some several hundred feet beneath the ground! The filmmakers play with your mind. An 'alien' angle, perhaps; or just a futuristic vision of corporate security measures!? It is a very interesting representation, although an exaggerated one; maybe the intention was to make a statement about the future of the contest in the corporate world! Brian King's screenplay and the director's vision of it, definitely draws a whole lot of inspiration from past masters. Some of the set design and the overall mood of the film quickly bring to mind, Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" (1982). Some of the thematic elements also remind you of John Frankenheimer 's masterpiece, "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962). Only those were ground-breaking films for their times and "Cypher" doesn't particularly create anything strikingly innovative. The oft-used gimmick of too many twists in the final act raise entirely new questions in an already befuddling narrative, making us rewind and think of the numerous holes that the film may have managed to riddle itself with. Employment of fast cut editing for showing some visions in the protagonists mind that may be distant memories or just random nightmares tends to strain the eyes. "Mission Impossible"-like athletic stunts and nick of time narrow escapes put a dent in the film's grave atmosphere and transport the viewer to the world of popcorn cinema for those brief moments!Nonetheless, a very sincere and convincing lead performance by the underrated Jeremy Northam and a steady pace that doesn't let up, make for an engaging and entertaining sci-fi noir thriller. Do not expect anything earth-shattering; then perhaps it wouldn't hurt to check "Cypher" out when you have nothing better to do.Score: 7/10

aernest I ran across this on cable, and only watched it because I had NEVER seen Jeremy Northam in ANYTHING modern. This was really a stylish little thriller along the lines of - I dunno - Matrix (not much) + Italian Job (cross/double cross)+ 1984 (dystopia for everyone). Northam is excellent, as he always is. He himself is the cypher of the title, I think, and as he peels away the multiple layers of his identity, you can see the panic under the desperately cool exterior he tries to maintain. The end came as a complete surprise to me, but maybe I'm easily fooled. It's hard to get some of Lucy Liu's (ahem) LESSER roles out of your mind when you see her in this, but she acquits herself well enough. Well-written, and well-executed - I recommend this with great enthusiasm.