The Net (1995)

Plot of The Net: Angel Bennet is a freelance computer tech who receives a 2¼” disc from a colleague and finds that it allows access to government sites. The colleague is flying down from San Francisco to meet her, but a hack into his navigation system causes him to crash. Angela goes on holiday to Mexico, taking the disc and meets Jack Devlin takes her out on his boat, actually to kill her for the disc. She escapes from him in a dingy but crashes and is hospitalised. Getting out she finds her ID has been erased and is forced to take on an alternative, Ruth Marx. Back in LA hr problems continue. No-one knows her because she is reclusive and her mum is suffering from advanced Altheimer’s and does not know her. She is even being impersonated by a woman at her desk in Cathedral Software, but she is for a while helped by Alan Champion, a former lover, that is until he is killed when his medical records are hacked. Can Angela regain her identity and bring the villains to book?

Content: It is evident that Angela has had sex with Jack Devlin on his boat and alcohol is consumed when they are being sociable. The opening scene is of a politician committing suicide, because he thinks he has HIV (think back to the time) and one way or another there is a lot of screen time, which obviously creaks a lot in 2025. Was it really like that? We see the villain accessing the police data base and assigning Angela with crimes and Dr Champion’s meds being altered and it seems that there is nothing that can be done to stop people who can control the data held on us.

A View: This outing was quite well thought of and made money, mainly we all think, because of the personal appeal of Sandra Bullock, who does a good job. The only quibble I have is, if she is such a smart girl how is she taken in by the creepy Jeremy Northam character – to the extent of sleeping with him? But that aside it all rolls along pretty well and even today we are likely to forgive the antiquated internet systems. Actually, I remember it all pretty well. It is all different today but is it really any better?

Fun Fact: Some filming done at an actual computer convention, Macworld, in January 1995.