Essentially a cautionary tale of slightly futuristic cyberterrorism, Netforce carries Tom Clancy's heavyweight name as the executive producer (but not writer). Don't expect a drama on the level of Patriot Games, however: N... more »etforce is a blunt and somewhat rushed thriller with little time for character or relationship development. What it does offer is a scenario for the prospect of organized crime uniting with computer geeks and malevolent industrialists to sabotage national security through attacks on the Internet. Scott Bakula plays the FBI agent in charge of the Netforce division of the bureau; he takes charge after his mentor (Kris Kristofferson) is murdered and the investigation points to the involvement of a Web pioneer (Judge Reinhold). The hero's romance with a colleague (Joanna Going) grows a little trickier after he promotes her to the number two spot behind himself, but with the president's chief of staff (Brian Dennehy) breathing down their necks, that's the least of their professional problems. The action bounces around from good guys to sundry bad guys, but there's no question that a creeping paranoia about Net vulnerability and its disastrous implications grows on this production--and the viewers. --Tom Keogh« less
Melanie A W. (novelwriter) from NEWINGTON, CT Reviewed on 11/24/2007...
I have this movie. I absolutely love it! Great acting by Scott Bakula who plays Alex Michaels deputy director of Net Force until his boss is killed unexpectedly and it is up to Alex to find out who did it.
Movie Reviews
A great movie
09/23/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I have never read Tom Clancy's books nor had I heard of the Net Force series before, but this movie was so good that I actually went to the net to look for Clancy's books. Even though some characters are not well developed, the movie was a very realistic depiction of how our technology could be in about 20 years. The plot was fast moving and it kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end."
Not All that Special
10/17/2002
(2 out of 5 stars)
"If you've read the book or books, and saw this movie, you know this is mocking the brilliance of Tom Clancy. This choppy, made-for-TV film has terrible dialogue, ludicrous conversations, and an awful storyline that barely goes with the book.
You probably know screenplay is almost everything, and a poor one makes a film terrible, especially if the screenwriter isn't good in the genre of films he's writing. That was Lionel Chetwynd, who wrote the teleplay. He had previously written countless documentries, and Net Force was his first theatrical film.
On a strong point, the acting is fantastic. Scott Bakula has a great performance as Alex Michaels, Kris Kristofferson delivers once again, and Brian Dennehy makes a good effort. Little known actor Paul Hewitt is wonderful playing the young computer wiz, Jay Gridley.
Bottom Line: The acting is good, but screenplays kill and this one doesn't deliver. Net Force wouldn't be my first choice for viewing pleasure."
Interesting.
07/18/1999
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Having been an avid Tom Clacy reader since 'Red October' I have to admit to being slightly disappointed in this film of his NetForce book. The acting by Bakula is excellent as usual. But I found having read the books that it strays too far from the plot, even allowing for editorial license. Having said that it was still enjoyable to watch."
It's okay
07/24/1999
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I was forced to sit and watch this in class during one of my computer classes since the teacher in there only let us watch movies that were "computer related". I thought that it's not the best computer movie that was made but not the worst one either. If you're into Tom Clancy than get it, if not than pick up Hackers on DVD, it's much better."