I.

PLOT
Ginger Knowles offered an ex-convicted person, named Stanley Jobson, for a cover
project headed by her boss, Gabriel Shear. Stanley Johnson was an excellent hacker who
infected the FBI's Carnivore program with a potent computer virus because he doesn’t
want that FBI will have access to every person’s account. Wanting to have a better life for
her daughter, Holly, after his two years imprisonment, Stanley accepted Ginger’s offer and
met with Gabriel in a nightclub for an initial fee of $100,000. Gabriel put Stanley in a test to
hack a government system within 60 seconds while there is a gunpoint in Stanley’s head
but the gun was unloaded. After the test, Gabriel invited Stanley to his house and offered
him another $10,000,000 for the worm that Stanley will make that can steal money from a
secret government slush fund for about $9,000,000,000. Gabriel also revealed to Stanley
about covert counter-terrorist unit called Black Cell headed by Senator Reisman. They
needed the money to help finance their vengeance war against international terrorism. At
first, Stanley refused to Gabriel’s offer because he cannot touch any computer as a
consequence of what he had done before. But even though he knew that what he would do
was wrong, he accepted Gabriel’s offer because he wanted to live with his daughter in a
peaceful and comfortable way and he can only do that if he has enough money. When
Senator discovered that the FBI has caught onto Gabriel, he attempted to stop their plan
but Gabriel refused to Reisman’s idea so the Senator attempted to kill Gabriel but he failed,
instead Gabriel was the one who has killed Senator in a fishing area. Gabriel Shear
continues with his plan and raids the local branch of the “worldbanc”. Stanley did not
expected that Gabriel can kill many people just to achieve his aim. Stanley tried to escape
from Gabriel but it doesn’t work out because Gabriel took Stanley’s daughter. Stanley wants
to get away from that harsh situation inside the “worldbanc” with his daughter so he
transferred the money to other account but before he leave the bank, Gabriel discovered
that Stanley betrayed him. Luckily, Stanley’s daughter was rescued by the policemen
outside the bank but Stanley was trapped again in the hand of Gabriel. Gabriel used Ginger
to force Stanley to transfer the money to Gabriel’s account. After transferring the $9 B,
Gabriel and his men loaded the hostages on a bus and demanded a plane at the local
airport, but while they were on the route, the bus was lifted off by an aircrane and
deposited on the roof of a local skyscraper. Gabriel deactivated the bombs and departed
with his surviving men on a waiting helicopter, which Stanley shoots down using a rocket-
propelled grenade from the bus. The end of the film shows Ginger and Gabriel in Monte
Carlo transferring that $9 B into other accounts. The final scene shows a yacht being
destroyed and a news anchor voice narrating that a suspected terrorist died on that yacht.

II. THEME AND RELEVANCE TO THE TOPIC

This movie talks about information technology which raises significant ethical issues
regarding computer crime and privacy. It makes you think a lot about the possibility of
something like a real operation swordfish happening. We all know that government has
a high security system with regards to computerized information but is it possible that
there are such people with high capability of hacking government's computer system? In
today's generation, those things can be possible because of continuing improvements of
technology. Society should be aware of those things such as computer viruses and
computer systems designed to aid the needs for ethical understanding.

In this movie, what Stanley Jobson did in hacking systems was unethical because he
has no authority to access them. But his main purpose why he accepted that job, that is
to give her daughter a better life, and his reason why he infected the FBI's Carnivore
program with a potent computer virus were ethical although in a wrong way. He did not
also exercise his honesty when Agent Robert was asking him for some relevant
information about their investigation. Stanley took a real interest in computer ethics and
acquired high level of skill and knowledge in that field but he did not reach the level of
competency needed for his ethical understanding.

FBI wants to have an access to every person's account which is unethical because
personal accounts should be private. This raises the issue of ownership in the personal
information industry because people desire to be in full control of what and how much
information about themselves is available to others, and to whom it is available.

The government in this movie has also weaknesses in their internal control and
computer system because just like Senator Reisman and Gabriel easily found that $9 B
amount of money which could have been protected better. They were both exposed to
stories and reports of that slush fund.
This movie is also loud, flashy, and violent, and certain viewers will probably offended
by the casual manner in which some of the deaths occur.

III. CHARACTERS

 Gabriel Shear - a wealthy terrorist and mob boss

 Stanley Jobson - a hacker who infected the FBI's Carnivore program with
a potent computer virus
 Ginger Knowles – assistant/girlfriend of Gabriel Shear
 J.T. Roberts – DEA (Agent)
 Senator James Reisman – leader of the “Black Cell Group”
 Melissa – ex-wife of Stanley Jobson
 Holly Jobson – daughter of Stanley Jobson
IV. DIRECTION

The story is presented in a complex manner - starting in the middle, flashing back for
about an hour, then returning to the present.
V. CINEMATOGRAPHY

The opening scene of Swordfish has a complicated visual effect. The effect
has so many composites in it, that the viewers of the film could not
determine what was real, and what was created by computer. The film also
ends on a non typical ending which wraps up the whole affair brilliantly.