Unveiling the Finest Movies About Hackers: Must-Watch Films and Where to Stream Them

15 best hacker movies

Whether you’re a cybersecurity enthusiast or just want to dive into the world of mysterious Internet criminals, we got you covered. The following list contains hacker movies for every taste, so keep reading. 

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1. The Matrix (1999)

📺 Watch on Max, Peacock. Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC Theatres.

🎥 Genre: sci-fi, action

⭐️ IMDb: 8.7

The Matrix is not only one of the top movies about hackers – this cinematic phenomenon directed by the Wachowskis was a true breakthrough of its time, combining dark sci-fi, cutting-edge special effects, and original philosophical ideas. 

A hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) finds out that the world around us is a fake – in fact, it’s a simulation created by machines in order to enslave humans. Neo joins Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) to fight against vicious Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and give people hope for survival.

Would like to discover more content about robots? Check out our top picks of the best artificial intelligence movies.

2. Ghost in the Shell (1995)

📺 Watch on Prime Video, Tubi, Freevee. Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC Theatres.

🎥 Genre: adult animation, cyberpunk thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 7.9

This classic cyberpunk anime movie is based on a popular manga created by Masamune Shirow. The movie tells the story of a security agent Motoko Kusanagi chasing a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master. Ghost in the Shell portrays the future where people use specific implants to interact with technologies and improve their skills, using built-in interfaces. 

If you‘re not an anime fan, you can check out a more modern Hollywood adaptation of Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, and Takeshi Kitano. This 2017 movie is available to stream on Hoopla. 

3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

📺 Watch on  Fubo TV, AMC+, Plex, Viaplay. Available for digital purchase on Amazon.

🎥 Genre: crime thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 7.8

After a big political scandal, disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) starts his investigation of a mysterious murder of a woman that happened 40 years ago. He is assisted by Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a female hacker seeking revenge on brutal and abusive men. The franchise was continued with two sequels – The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest.

There’s also an American adaptation of the same crime novel by Stieg Larsson released just two years after the Swedish film. The 2011 movie is directed by David Fincher and stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.

4. Who Am I (2014)

📺 Watch on Netflix

🎥 Genre: techno-thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 7.5

A computer genius Benjamin (Tom Schilling) joins an ambitious group of hackers named FRI3NDS looking to enter the global stage. Soon, the organization drew the attention of the Russian mafia and Europol. Who Am I is an intense techno-thriller that explores the darkest aspects of the Internet and cybercrime, including the dark web. The movie is directed by Baran bo Odar who later became famous for his Netflix series Dark and 1899.

Wondering how to access your favorite Netflix shows when traveling? Check out our detailed guide!

5. Snowden (2016)

📺 Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC Theatres.

🎥 Genre: biographical thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 7.3

The famous leakage of classified US intelligence documents by a former NSA agent Edward Snowden in 2013 definitely needed a movie adaptation. And it was released in 2016. The biopic directed by Oliver Stone tells the story of a talented NSA contractor who decides to warn American citizens about illegal government surveillance. This sudden exposure makes Edward Snowden, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a hero to some and a traitor to others.

If you’re looking for documentaries about hackers, check out Citizenfour – a 2014 movie about Edward Snowden directed by Laura Poitras (available on Prime Video).

6. Enemy of the State (1998)

📺 Watch on Hulu, Paramount Plus, Fubo TV. Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, AMC Theatres.

🎥 Genre: political action thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 7.3

Unsuspecting lawyer Robert Clayton Dean receives proof of a politically motivated murder committed by corrupt National Security Agency agents. Even before the world has digitalized so much, the creators of this classic 90s movie raised an issue that is getting even more relevant these days: what if advanced technology falls into the wrong hands?

7. We Are Legion. The Story of the Hacktivists (2012)

📺 Watch on Prime Video

🎥 Genre: documentary

⭐️ IMDb: 7.2

This movie about Anonymous hackers sheds some light on the most mysterious international group of “hacktivists.” It includes interviews with Internet security experts and Anonymous members themselves. So, if you want to dive into the world of the Internet Robin Hoods, this one is your go-to.

8. 23 (1998)

📺 Currently unavailable on media streaming services

🎥 Genre: drama thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 7.2

23 is based on actual events that occurred during the Cold War in Germany. Karl Kock (August Diehl) starts to crack the global data network (the former version of the Internet) and manages to break into some government and military programs. Together with his friend David (Fabian Busch), he starts working for KGB, hacking into multiple foreign systems. This underrated hacker movie is a perfect journey to the origins of technological development and cybercrime.

Explore our top picks of the best war movies to watch on Netflix right now!

9. Sneakers (1992)

📺 Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC Theatres.

🎥 Genre: thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 7.1

A computer hacker Martin (Robert Redford) and a team of highly skilled security experts are hired by the National Security Agency to steal a powerful decoder capable of decrypting any data. But things change dramatically once Martin is accused of killing the technology’s inventor.

Sneakers is another example of a classical hacker movie – a winning combination of crime, comedy, and drama.

10. Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

📺 Watch on Max, Apple TV. Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, AMC Theatres.

🎥 Genre: action thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 7.1

The Die Hard franchise was at its peak in the early 2000s, as well as the theme of hackers in cinematography. Unsurprisingly, the fourth movie in the series – Live Free or Die Hard – was focused on fighting cybercrime (without reducing the number of action-packed scenes, of course). John McClane (Bruce Willis) cooperates with a young hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) to stop a dangerous cyber-terrorist Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Oliphant) aiming to take down the entire US infrastructure.

11. The Great Hack (2017)

📺 Watch on Netflix

🎥 Genre: documentary

⭐️ IMDb: 7.0

In the 2010s, there was a massive scandal related to a British-based consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. It collected personal data of Facebook users for political advertising during election campaigns in the US and the UK. The Great Hack is a Netflix documentary that explores those events and tells the stories of several people involved. 

12. Tron (1982)

📺 Watch on Disney Plus. Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store.

🎥 Genre: sci-fi, action

⭐️ IMDb: 6.7

Tron is a pure classic of movies about computer hackers created long before the Internet and technology became integral parts of our lives. A skilled software engineer (Jef Bridges) finds out that his work got stolen. But when trying to get it back by hacking his company’s system, he finds himself in the digital world. Now he has to participate in fierce gladiatorial fights, looking for a rescue. 

13. Hackers (1995)

📺 Watch on Roku, DIRECTV, Cinemax (Prime Video channel). Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC Theatres.

🎥 Genre: crime thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 6.2

A group of teenage computer geeks led by Dade Murphy (Johnny Lee Miller) and Kate Libby (Angelina Jolie) is accused of spreading a dangerous virus. Now they have to fight against a government organization and a dangerous computer genius. 

Although the movie received mixed reviews at the time of release, it gained cult classic status and became one of the most recognizable films about hackers of all time.

14. The Fifth Estate (2013)

📺 Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, AMC Theatres.

🎥 Genre: biographical drama thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 6.2

This dramatic thriller directed by Bill Condon is partly based on real events. It tells the story of Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Daniel Berg (Daniel Brühl) – the founders of WikiLeaks. This controversial organization focuses on publishing classified information provided by anonymous sources (including hackers). Although the movie doesn’t show the hacking process itself, it discusses important topics related to cybercrime and its influence on modern society.  

15. Blackhat (2015)

📺 Watch on Netflix. Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox.

🎥 Genre: action thriller

⭐️ IMDb: 5.4

After a nuclear plant in Hong Kong and Chicago Mercantile Exchange got hacked, the Chinese government and FBI join forces to track down the attacker. They release a convicted hacker Nick Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth) from prison to join the team and use his skills to stop dangerous terrorists.

Honorable mention: Mr. Robot (2015-2019)

📺 Watch on Prime Video / Available for digital purchase on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu

🎥 Genre: techno-thriller, drama

⭐️ IMDb: 8.5

Technically, Mr. Robot can’t be on our list of movies about computer hackers since it’s not a movie but a four-season USA Network TV show. But we couldn’t skip it – after all, this series has one of the most accurate representations of hackers on screen. 

Elliot (Rami Malek) is a young computer engineer who lives in New York and works for a big cybersecurity firm. Eventually, Elliot joins a team of hacktivists led by mysterious Mr. Robot to fight against one of the world’s largest organizations – E Corp. 

All in all, Mr. Robot is a winning mix of drama and techno-thriller that is full of talented actors, unexpected plot twists, and various topics related to technology, hacking, and computer programming.

Final thoughts

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Written by VeePN Research Lab VeePN Research Lab is dedicated to provide you latest posts about internet security and privacy.

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