Swordfish

If you want a crime drama that treats its mystery as more than a puzzle, Swordfish is available in Australia on Stan, and in the US on Hoopla right now. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. 2,979 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. John Travolta leads a cast that carries the story without ever feeling mechanical. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Stan.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Swordfish is worth clearing space for. The plotting gives Swordfish its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. Rogue agent Gabriel Shear is determined to get his mitts on $9 billion stashed in a secret Drug Enforcement Administration account. He wants the cash to fight terrorism, but lacks the computer skills necessary to hack into the government mainframe. Enter Stanley Jobson, a n'er-do-well encryption expert who can log into anything. John Travolta and Hugh Jackman lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2001. What makes Swordfish hold up is that the resolution matters less than how the characters get there. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For anyone who wants their crime drama to earn its twists, Swordfish delivers. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. John Travolta carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.