"Operation Takedown" (also known as Takedown) is a 2000 cybercrime thriller based on the book Takedown by John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura. The film dramatizes the real-life capture of Kevin Mitnick, a notorious hacker.

Kevin Mitnick (played by Skeet Ulrich) is a highly skilled hacker and fugitive on the run from the FBI. Using his expertise in social engineering and hacking, he infiltrates secure computer systems, steals data, and evades authorities. However, his actions catch the attention of cybersecurity expert Tsutomu Shimomura (played by Russell Wong), whose own system is hacked by Mitnick.

Determined to stop him, Shimomura teams up with the FBI to track Mitnick down. The film follows their intense cat-and-mouse game, showcasing Mitnick’s hacking prowess, law enforcement’s efforts to apprehend him, and the ethical dilemmas of cybersecurity. Eventually, Mitnick is captured in 1995, marking the downfall of one of the most infamous hackers of his time.

Criticism

The film depicts Mitnick as a dangerous criminal and almost a cyberterrorist, which many—including Mitnick himself—argue is highly exaggerated. In reality, while he was a skilled hacker, he never engaged in activities like financial fraud, selling stolen data, or causing damage to systems, as the film implies. Many critics believe the movie unfairly vilifies him.

The movie is based on the book Takedown by John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura, two people directly involved in Mitnick’s case. Markoff, a journalist, was accused of having a personal vendetta against Mitnick, and Shimomura was the hacker who helped track him down. This made the film one-sided, favoring law enforcement and portraying Mitnick in a negative light while glorifying Shimomura.

Like many Hollywood films, Operation Takedown takes significant creative liberties. Some scenes in the movie, including the high-stakes chases and some of Mitnick’s hacking techniques, were fictionalized or exaggerated to make the story more dramatic. Many cybersecurity experts and hackers pointed out that the film misrepresented hacking methods, making them seem more like movie magic than actual cybersecurity exploits.

Mitnick was not consulted for the film and was never given a chance to present his side of the story. He even attempted to sue to stop the movie’s release, arguing that it was defamatory and misrepresented key facts about his case.

The movie raises concerns about how hackers are treated by the justice system. Mitnick served five years in prison, including eight months in solitary confinement, which many felt was an excessive punishment for crimes that did not involve financial theft or system destruction. The film fails to explore the debate about hacking ethics, instead painting a black-and-white picture of good vs. evil.

My story with the film

Back when I was a CS student, the movie was kind of a legend since we couldn't find it in any video store to buy it or rent it. We didn't have an abundance of media to learn the truth about Mitnick or even to watch the movie. Yet, a friend of mine managed to find it—without Greek subtitles—probably by downloading it illegally. I remember he gave me the disc at 3:00 in the morning, and I watched it for the first time. It was the first English-speaking movie I ever watched without subtitles.

Details:

Operation Takedown (2000)
Director: Joe Chappelle
Writers: Tsutomu Shimomura, John Markoff, David Newman
Music: Chris Holmes, James Kole
Starring: Skeet Ulrich (Kevin Mitnick), Russell Wong (Tsutomu Shimomura), Angela Featherstone (Julia)