Freedom Downtime (2001) User Reviews

An important documentary, though technically not perfect

[zergis · 7/10 · 29 June 2007]

This is an interesting documentary about a subject that is often ignored - the court's and police's lack of knowledge about anything connected to a network, and medias habit of twisting or ignoring facts when they see they can make more money. As a non-American, there are some things that I don't get, but over all the film is very good at telling us how things work, and in my country (Sweden), the events in this film might get another point of view, since the police raid on the pirate bay in April 2006, where many things got eerily similar to what happened to Mitnick.

In a film making point of view Freedom Downtime is lacking though, the editing could be better, and the sound mixing got some flaws (but I must say it was a long time since I saw the film, so I could remember incorrectly). Still, this is a must see for anyone interested in the hacker community, or the odd behaviour of the "justice".

A Free Kevin Presentation

[Slug-3 · 8/10 · 3 March 2006]

Freedom Downtime is basically a personal video record of the "Free Kevin" campaign to free notorious hacker Kevin Mitnick. It's not really about hacking at all and the comparisons to Michael Moore are only appropriate in that the filmmaker confronts those who have been deemed as bad guys. Other than that, Freedom Downtime shares nothing in common with Michael Moore films and is an interesting, albeit scary, look at the justice system in the USA.

It should be an interesting film for anyone who remembers the "Free Kevin" campaign that was once so prevalent on the internet. It's full of that dry humor so appreciated by hacker culture, which adds a little hacker flavor to an otherwise serious subject. Those not familiar with Mitnick may not appreciate the film as much, but they'll still come away with an inside glimpse into serious problems with the justice system and the corporate media's willingness to ignore the truth when it wishes to do so. Of course, this won't come as a big surprise today, when trust in the corporate media is at an all-time low and people have turned to the internet as a result.

Hackers help hackers

[pbpbsoil · 8/10 · 18 April 2017]

The documentary centers on the fate of Mitnick, who is claimed to have been misrepresented in the feature film Takedown (2000) produced by Miramax and adapted from the book by the same name by Tsutomu Shimomura and John Markoff, which is based on disputed events. The film also documents a number of computer enthusiasts who drive across the United States searching for Miramax representatives and demonstrating their discontent with certain aspects of the bootleg script of Takedown they had acquired. Several notable and iconic figures from the hacking community appear in the movie, including Phiber Optik (Mark Abene), Bernie S (Ed Cummings), Alex Kasper, and (director) Emmanuel Goldstein (Eric Corley). Freedom Downtime tries to communicate a different view of the hacker community from that usually shown by the mainstream media, with hackers being depicted as curious people who rarely intend to cause damage, driven by a desire to explore and conduct pranks.

Very nice

[guido-lissmann · 10 September 2003]

Of course, the film is very opinionated in the first place, but as a documentary it shows how Mitnick was made victim of a public mud slinging campaign, how hackers (geeks!) were thrown into prison with violent maniacs, how prison authorities and the justice system abused them.

The film is a bit Michael Mooreish in style, quite entertaining if you know anything about the world of computers and does highlight some important facts, such as that many of the crimes Mitnick was accused of in the press were never proven, that the people who destroyed his reputation had never even met him and were in it simply for the money.

Great Documentary About Kevin Mitnick and the Hacker World

[Wbennit · 9/10 · 6 March 2002]

I was fortunate enough to see this film at its first screening at HOPE2000 in New York City. The first release was not the final and it had some minor problems. I watched the finished version at the NY Film and Video Festival at the Sutton Theatre. There were many interesting changes, mostly for the better.

The movie is about the life of "SUPER HACKER" Kevin Mitnick. It explains why his case was flawed and the propaganda the media released about the trials. The narrator, Emmanuel Goldstein, goes on an adventure with some of his friends from NYC to various places relating to Kevin or the Hacker world.

There are scenes thrown in just for fun and also very serious messages about the government's misuse of power. An X-Con, Bernie S, explains his chilling experience in jail and how it nearly cost him his life. All of this over a box of crystals that could be used to steal telephone service.

The movie is funny and educational. It should appeal to all members of the hacking community and those who wish to become informed.

The film doesn't end at the credits.

A deeply upsetting look into human rights abuse in the US.

[RipTic · 10/10 · 14 January 2003]

Freedom Downtime is an eloquent and thought provoking documentary about the disgusting abuse of power in the United States. Kevin Mitnik's life was destroyed by the "justice" system. This film documents the campaign to free him, and provides a fascinating insight into the hacker world. You will laugh, you will cry, you will want to take up arms against the state...

Bitter and not very skilled documentary about a sad truth.

[siderite · 7/10 · 10 January 2014]

One has to wonder, after seeing a documentary such as this, if the ideas in the film were more important than its quality. The thing is every movie is propaganda: if they were artistic expression of creative people they wouldn't all look the same. Most people are not actually paying for truth and they are not paying for art, instead they are only looking for validation of their own concepts and ideas.

That is why I find it difficult to comment on a film like Freedom Downtime. On one hand I totally believe Kevin Mitnick and a lot of hackers to have been mistreated and witch hunted by governments and the American one in particular. On the other hand it is hard to take seriously a documentary that is almost completely one-sided, like Michael Moore's stuff.

The entire premise of the film is that Kevin's friends talk freely to Emmanuel Goldstein, while corporations, government agencies and hostile witnesses and agitators in the Mitnick case refuse to cooperate. But I can't possibly buy that. They accidentally met two friendly lawyers during the making of the film; I am sure they could have made a whole lot more trying to tackle the problem legally and diplomatically. A high profile case like that should have attracted a lot of legal vultures. But instead the makers of the film went out of their way to show how unfair they were treated and thrown out from every place they were trying to get to. So did Moore, if you remember his movies, and they were of the same format: sticking it to people and then complaining they were not taken seriously, then showing only the producer's point of view.

I have read Mitnick's book, which is much more open and moderate, and it had a whole lot much of an effect on me. This film is two hours long and it very rarely actually discloses facts. Probably Wikipedia's page is more informative than this documentary. I had the impression it told more about Bernie S. than about Kevin Mitnick, so clearly something was off. There is an interview with Mitnick bundled with the film, but it is so badly made that I have to ask myself if Goldstein wanted to discredit Kevin. They feed him energizers and then let him blow off steam on record. The poor guy is so enraged and traumatized by his experience that he can barely express himself.

Anyway, to summarize: I really empathize with Mitnick's plight and the point of view of the authors of the film, but I don't think the film was very good. The purpose of such a production is to show a point of view in a way that brings more people to it, in a way that makes people believe the point. People that are in the field and have every reason to already believe what is in the film have no need to see it, while people who don't have very little chance to connect to anything Freedom Downtime has to offer. As such, it failed and was probably more of an ego trip for Goldstein and his crew.

I can't stop fearing, though, that I am having the same reaction the legal system in the US had about Mitnick: if the defense lawyer is not highly skilled and highly paid, probably Kevin is guilty; if the film is low budget and made by amateurs, then its message is probably not good.

What a documentary should be and what every American should see

[salvia_d · 10/10 · 9 March 2005]

The simple truth is that the American justice and prison system are run by private corporation and if the government wants to get rid of someone they just hand them over to this system. This movie is about just one person that this has happened too. Unfortunately for Mitnick he was the scapegoat used to pass a lot of laws to protect corporations and allow them to right off a lot of expenses and steal a lot of money by blaming hackers. This is the real message of the movie. Just a simple wake up call to the people.

This movie is much more then the story of Mitnick, a computer user at a time when very few people knew how to turn them on. He was used and abused, his life destroyed and his freedom taken away. And the scary truth is most people really didn't care because it was happening to someone else.

This is a great movie, funny beyond what you would expect. Informative beyond what it seems, all you have to do is listen to what the "geeks" are saying. It's filled with great REAL characters that will make you laugh out loud.

Watch this movie if you want to have a great time and learn more then you would watching a year of Hollywood movies Great job to the cast and crew and the hackers and the geeks ... I loved it

watch this... this film will change your view on the US criminal "justice" system

[dudicious · 10/10 · 5 June 2002]

before i comment, i am not a hacker

before i watched this film, i knew little about kevins case(s) other than the fact that he had been held for over 3 years without a trial. i was baffled by the way the court system treated him. the courts held kevin in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT for 8 months because they were afraid he was going to hack their phone system!!! how are you going to hack a phone with no hacking tools?! did they think he was going to make a device out of spoons and a napkin or something? so they put him in solitary with murderers, rapists, armed robbers, and other violent criminals. this man had evidence that he had viewed source code from novell and sun, and made a few free phone calls. the only reason he was put in solitary was because of the media's view on him.

not only were kevin's countless beatdowns from the government a big wakeup call to how i think about the court system, the other testimonials from hackers in the film were very moving. namely the testimonial from "Bearnie S." who was imprisoned because he had a box of "crystals" that could allow him to make free phone calls. he was severely beaten in jail, and was denied health care for several hours, and in the hospital was denied ANY pain killers (even aspirin or tylenol) for 2 days after having surgery.

think the court system relies on justice? wrong. the media, racism/classism, propaganda, money, and other political influences are what controls the courts now. if this is the tesimonial of only a few hackers, imagine what horrible things have been done to minorities, non-violent drug criminals, and so on. watch this film. you will be informed and entertained at the same time.

I saw it once---best hacker documentary

[virtig01 · 10/10 · 26 January 2003]

This is a very well-crafted documentary. It shows what the media should have been showing. It delivers the whole story of Mitnick, proving wrong the book and the movie made about him. The documenters also interviewed (and tried to interview) key subjects. Also presented is the journey that the filmmakers' took to make this documentary, along with the (exciting!) long road to Las Vegas.

This is definitely an educational and worthwhile video to watch. Everyone should see it, including students and non-computer geeks. There is no hype, just the facts. You will see the term "hacker" in a different light.

Oh, and be sure to get your hands on the DVD when it comes out.

This isn't a documentary

[lirm35 · 1/10 · 12 April 2012]

I eagerly looked forward to seeing this supposed documentary, but to be quite frank, it was painful to sit through.

I've long been aware of the Mitnick story and have also been a reader of 2600 for many years.

That may in part account for my high expectations of this film.

I actually felt sorry for EG as he showed up at the doors of company after company looking to talk to people about the Mitnick case (of course he never got talk to anyone because he put absolutely zero effort in planning any of these meetings whatsoever or even attempting to get a contact person to talk to).

My thought as this progressed from the absurd to the comical was this: how high can you possibly be to drive literally across the country to wind up at a company like Sun Microsystems and show at the receptionist's desk hoping to speak to someone about the Mitnick story. Then, to stand out in the parking lot trying to get the main phone number for the company and actually be frustrated and amazed to get a voice mail system and not get to talk to anyone.

At one point I was going to turn it off, but hope prevailed as the "film crew" continued to show up just about anywhere hoping to talk to anyone about anything in they might actually do that. The highlight of these "interviews" was letting a drunk guy hold a "Free Kevin" bumper sticker and ramble on why his wife left him because he had no money.

As bad as this documentary was (and to call it one is an insult to the genre) it did bring to light the absurd way Mitnick was handled in prison - being put into solitary for months at a time. I suppose that's the one positive point to take from the film. (Mitnick is long since out of prison, by the way, and has a successful consulting firm and a book out last summer that is doing well. I have yet to read the book but probably will simply because I want to read him talk about his social engineering skills.) Hopefully the next time Mr. Goldstein embarks on a road trip to do interviews for a documentary he'll actually have more than a list of names. I'd recommend some crayons and paper so he'll have something a little more interesting to present to his viewers as he waits in reception areas for meetings that will never take place.

the truth is out there

[movieman-160 · 11 May 2004]

as others have, i shall preface this. when i was young, i was what you would call a hacker. now im in network security, and deployment. i am intricately linked with the concept of hackers, and their real world conterparts, good and bad.

now, this move, well, it's just good to watch. if your a hacker, or a geeeek, you probably already know about kevins harrowing experience. if not, buckle up, cause your eyes are about to be pried open to the reality of the justice system, and it's total lack of knowlege about anything with a cpu. you will be struck by the concept that there is indeed a secondary culture growing up right around you. that your neighbors, friends, and even your boss, could have a completely different life from that you know. your children could. yes, thats scary, but whats more frightening, is that thweir life could be ruined, the moment someone decides they know too much, and could POTENTIALLY pose a threat. that was kevins true downfall. he potentially could have posed a threat. something the movie missed is that thousands of people are better hackers then kevin, and they roam the channels freely. mostly it is because they are lucky, and stay under the radar.

as for those of you who ARE already aware of the shafting mitnik, and geeks in general get from the justice system, stick with it, you might see someone you know, and it's a rare chance to see what goes on at the conventions you should get your ass out to...

Excellent

[dimmu-2 · 10/10 · 17 July 2002]

Finally a movie from the perspective of a hacker about Kevin Mitnick. Not from a anti-hacker point of view. When i watched this movie at the HAL 2001 Conference the crowd enjoyed the film a lot! Also the director Emmanual Goldstein (which is actually a alias) has some good points about the hacker community in general which he expresses in the movie and expressed before the movie at HAL 2001.

Funny

[rtepunk · 9/10 · 22 November 2008]

I thought America was supposed to be this free country that grants rights to their citizens. What a joke. It's funny to me to see all the foreign comments saying it's shocking. If anyone here has been through the legal process in this country especially for a felony, this movie isn't probably very shocking to them. When the police pick your name from the hat, you are not going to walk away clean. Unless you have very deep pockets of course, then you have about a 30% chance of winning your case. A big chunk your money will go towards posting bail so you don't have to sit in county jail for several months until the D.A. actually looks at your file. Even if you don't post bail, do the time til your case is heard, and win. You just sat in jail with mostly crackdealers and crackheads if you're in a major city like I was, and you can't win a lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment and lost wages because that's just what the system is. Not to mention the original charge(s) will still pop up in background checks about 75% of the time. Get a charge exponged off your record and you'll still have the same odds of it popping up. Trust me, it's happened to me and just about everybody I know with felonies. My advice is be smart about your crimes. I would say be good and don't commit any but the fact is everybody in America is going to commit at least a crime or two in their lifetime, some by accident. If you get caught and are looking at a lot of jail/prison time, run your ass off! Say you get caught on the run, the court process takes so long that by the time trial starts, they could care less if you ran or turned yourself in. They just want you to accept a plea so they don't have to invest time and money into convicting you because that's all it is, it's a business.

Greatest hacker movie ever

[siliconsilence · 10/10 · 19 July 2003]

Yes.. You've seen them. "War Games" and "Hackers. You've also heard of them... You;ve heard of him. Kevin Mitnick. The media portrayed him as dangerous, believing he could start a nuclear war if he had access to a payphone. But you havn't heard the true story. And FREEDOM DOWNTIME is just that.

I am glad that Emmanuel Goldstein and the crew of 2600 released this film, so it could show the truth of the Kevin Mitnick legacy, and the horror that could have been unleashed by the movie, "Takedown."

FREEDOM DOWNTIME is the greatest hacker movie and the greatest documentary I have ever seen. If you have a view on hackers, see this movie.. It is likely to fix it.

A Roadtrip to the pointless

[dominicmousseau · 3/10 · 30 January 2012]

First, I would like to mention that I love documentaries, especially the ones concerning the world of computers. But I was really disappointed, this is not a good doc and by far!

Seriously, this movie look like a bunch of teens not even prepared for the interviews, a pointless roadtrip to companies (ones that pursue Mitnick) where they cant speak to even the receptionist.I was really disappointed, it was like Micheal Moores of the poors kind of doc... In the positive side, some key facts about the lacks of evidence of system justice for pursuing Mitnick.

See Hackers Wanted instead!!

Eye opening.

[dayzd23 · 12 July 2002]

It is by far one of the top movies in my list. It was informative and eye opening. Big brother is always watching... sometimes for their own behalf.

A must see, the truth must be told. god bless the internet

Hacked

[tedg · 1 July 2004]

Spoilers herein.

Consider this the evil twin to `Takedown.'

In true hacker tradition, you start with the files, in this case something that really happened. Then you have two parties breaking into the sanctity of journalistic truth and hacking them for their own purposes.

First we have the shameless version by Shimomura. I know scores of people who really work for the good guys - many brilliant minds. We are all ashamed of his version, which has been cracked and shredded from truth. And Miramax should today be castigated for trumpeting itself as the good guys (because of its distributing Micheal Moore's entertainments).

But that doesn't justify this similar hatchet job. It does feature an embarrassing interview with a dumb journalist - as if we were supposed to be surprised. And it raises clear gaps between what Kevin might have done and what some wildeyed prosecutors claimed. (Kevin was more a talented con man than cracker.) But none of this was harmless prankstering, and this hacking of the truth is as sullied as Shimomura‘s.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

You get what you deserve

[Teitoku · 24 August 2003]

Tries to victimize a guy who knowingly broke multiple laws on multiple accounts. Boo-hoo. I haven't hacked any corporate systems and guess what. I never had to get in the rear in prison.