god, this movie rules. a 130-minute no-fat conspiracy thriller with 47 great character actors that validates the conspiracy rather than use it as a nut-job punching-bag trope.

Scott of course embellishes a bit of the tech stuff, but this is relatively paired down, prophetic high tech stuff and properly enmeshed in the lives of people still learning to what extent a role the internet was going to play in their daily existence.

Scott takes the bones and legacy of The Conversation and meaningfully flips the vulnerable listener and murderers. now, in a surveillance state, the listeners are the malevolent, rich murderers and we are the prey.

this flipping is really great within the visual language of the genre, where its taken for granted that the recon guys are doing good work. Scott doesnt do anything additional to villainize them; he uses the same beats to perhaps suggest a referendum on the historic use of government agencies in film as good.