In case you’ve never seen Sneakers, I’m warning you, there are spoilers ahead.
I love the 1992 movie Sneakers. It has so many elements of a movie that I look for. For starters, it’s a great heist movie, which I love. It also happens to have an absolutely bonkers cast. Every single member of the main cast, Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Mary McDonnell, Ben Kingsley, David Strathairn, Dan Aykroyd, and River Phoenix, earned Academy Award nominations over their careers, and three, Redford, Poitier, and Kingsley, won one at some point. There’s also a surprise star at the end, but that surprise is ruined earlier in the movie.
The Fantastic Cameo At The End Is Spoiled
There’s one name I left off that list. That’s because the actor wasn’t marketed or promoted on the poster or in the trailer of the movie, despite also being an Oscar nominee. If you know the movie, you’ve probably guessed that I’m talking about James Earl Jones. He wasn’t part of the marketing because he only has a small cameo at the end, and it's meant to be a surprise to the audience.
Jones, who passed away in 2024, plays the head of the NSA, who, in the end, is actually looking out for Martin (Redford) and his team of hackers. He appears at the very end of the movie and immediately lifts the mood of the film in such a fantastic way. He provides the perfect jolt of electric energy that takes the movie over the top. As if it wasn’t enough that you’ve been watching all these amazing actors do their thing, here’s one more, just add that little cherry on top.
The problem is, anyone paying attention sees it coming. Earlier in the movie, Martin speaks on the phone with a man promising his safety if he brings in the codebreaker they have stolen (the Macguffin in the movie). Though the audience never sees the man on the other end of the line, the voice is one of the most famous voices in Hollywood history. Seriously, who doesn’t instantly recognize James Earl Jones’ voice? I have to say, it does ruin the cameo at the end.
It’s Not Like It Ruins The Movie For Me
The self-spoiling moment hardly ruins the movie, of course. It’s hard for me to remember back to the first time I saw the movie, when it would have been a surprise, but on a recent rewatch, I had actually forgotten Jones was in the movie, until that phone call. Maybe the first time I saw it, I didn’t pick up on the voice? It’s possible, I guess, but this is Darth Vader! Mufasa! The “This is CNN” guy! His voice is as iconic as his best performances. I can’t imagine many people don’t pick up on it immediately.
Still, Sneakers is an all-timer for me. A classic remote-dropper. It’s a movie that is well-paced and full of fun moments that make it impossible not to watch if I come across it. And yeah, James Earl Jones is still the most fun part about it, even if it’s a little ruined by the end.
