Review: ‘I.T.’ sees Pierce Brosnon fight firewall with firewall.

i-t-posterIn a world where our entire life exists online, we are constantly in danger of being hacked. Think about it. We bank online, send photos, texts, emails, shop, pay bills, you can now lock and unlock your front door via an app. We take our security for granted. The recent yahoo hack should prove another warning to folks to check privacy settings, though no matter what we do, that vulnerability may never go away. In the new film, I.T., Pierce Brosnan plays a man whose life couldn’t be better, until one man decides he has too much. it_pr-still_06479Mike Regan is about to launch “the Uber for private jets” in a new app roll out. When his company hires new tech Ed, who seems to have all the quick fixes, Mike invites him inside his home to tweak the glitches in his smart home. Unable to understand social cues after a short period of time, Ed becomes obsessed with taking Mike down notch by notch. Nothing is off-limits. Ed put Mike’s business, reputation, and family in harm’s way. His actions prove detrimental, but Mike will not allow his entire life to be destroyed. He has to fight firewall with firewall.it_pr-still_01312
Brosnan is a solid is ever. His commanding presence is never in question and there are some great moments in this thriller in which I believe his former role as 007 give him a more natural physical step. With solid performances from Anna Friel as wife Rose, Stefanie Scott as his daughter, and Michael Nyquist as specialist Henrik, the film’s pace is quick and intense. The real star of this film is hands down our villain played by James Frenchville. His ability to change emotional direction on a dime is something akin to Ryan Reynolds performance in The Voices, combined with the creepiness of Robert Di Nero in Cape Fear. it_02844I.T. will do nothing less than make you rethink the devices in your hand and how you use them. In a present day where a foreign country is hacking a major political party in real life, that’s awful enough. Perhaps, though, we should be more afraid of the troll in a basement with nothing better to do than destroy others.
I.T. is in theaters today as well as on VOD.

TITLE:  I.T.
THEATRICAL AND VOD RELEASE DATE:  September 23, 2016
DIRECTOR:  John Moore
WRITER:  Dan Kay, William Wisher
CAST: Pierce Brosnan, James Frecheville,  Anna Friel, Stefanie Scott, Austin Swift
SYNOPSIS:  Mike Regan (Pierce Brosnan) is a successful, self-made man who has it all: a gorgeous wife, a beautiful teenage daughter and a sleek, state-of-the-art “smart home.”  But he soon finds himself in a deadly, high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse when his I.T. consultant, Ed (James Frecheville), starts using his skills to stalk Mike’s daughter and endanger his family, his business,and his life.  In a world where there is no privacy, and personal secrets can go viral by the click of a mouse, Mike needs to rely on his old connections to defeat a new kind of nemesis.
GENRE: Thriller
DISTRIBUTOR:  RLJ Entertainment