One of the best things about Sneakers is that it doesn't play down to its audience. There's little to no expository dialog. There are flashbacks that drive the plot, but no flashbacks or other artificial constructs that explain technology or terms. Everything is presented smartly, and the writers and director trust the audience to understand what's going on.
It manages to be specific about technical things without feeling aged, even now.
I might be biased since I'm an old 80s phone phreak/cracker/hacker, but I can think of few other examples that capture what things were really like, with social engineering proving as (or more) valuable than hacking, dumpster diving, and a group of people driven more by geeky interest than profit motive (although not entirely, of course). The only other hacking film that comes close is War Games, but only the first half.
It manages to be specific about technical things without feeling aged, even now.
I might be biased since I'm an old 80s phone phreak/cracker/hacker, but I can think of few other examples that capture what things were really like, with social engineering proving as (or more) valuable than hacking, dumpster diving, and a group of people driven more by geeky interest than profit motive (although not entirely, of course). The only other hacking film that comes close is War Games, but only the first half.