The producers and directors should have done their homework better, and started the movie with some famous quotes of computer people (and hackers) in the know, like Sun Microsystems' Bill Joy who wrote in the April 2000 issue of Wired magazine an article "Why the future doesn't need us" and claimed that computers will eventually become more intelligent than we are, leading to scenarios like a robot rebellion or .... echelon taking control ... This scenario is also covered inside "The Listening", but there humans still remain in final control. There's some pointers that "Echelon Conspiracy" is pretty close to reality. In Feb 2009 a new movie was announced in the Netherlands as 'Coming soon'. It's title : "The Gift". In July of the same year it was released on DVD only, in the Netherlands but with the title "Echelon Conspiracy", clearly a name change to steer the grand public away from this one. Considering that a lot of essential story telling is handled in a popcorn fashion, leading the remaining audience astray from the real issues, should trigger alarm bells with people who aught to know, like computer security experts, and people who do know, like computer hackers. Highly interesting is the part where anonymous people are sent into casinos to rip entire blackjack tables empty, leading to catastrophic national deficits, which was also MI6's major concern in the Bond movie Casino Royale of 2006, a year before the credit crunch ...

Echelon Conspiracy is a science fiction action thriller film that stars Shane West as a globe-trotting American computer engineer named Max Petersen, together with Ving Rhames, Jonathan Pryce, and Martin Sheen.It was written by Kevin Elders and Michael Nitsberg, and directed by Greg Marcks.The story involves Petersen when he comes into possession of a cell phone that bestows unlimited wealth upon him, never realizing the danger posed to him by the device until security agents close in and start shooting to kill. Now, as a frantic chase across the continents gets under way, the stability of the entire world hangs in the balance.Although the film presents an interesting premise that involves digital conspiracy,it lacks tension that would generate the viewer's interest. The screenplay does not provide any originality as it has elements of action thrillers that already have been seen in other movies.It also lacks suspense and intelligence that one may see new in this film. Overall,it is a B movie that would provide enjoyment and entertainment on a weekend.

Max (Shane West) installs security systems for computers all over the world. To the chagrin of his latest client, he sets off an alarm to prove how great the security is, causing minor havoc. Soon, the hotel he has been staying at gives him an elaborate mobile phone, which has a plethora of aps. One gives him the ability to beat the tables at the local gambling venue. But, all too soon, Max realizes someone is tracking him with this phone and, horror, he learns that other folks who had just such a device ended up getting bumped off. Ouch! Soon, Max crosses paths with undercover agents like John (Edward Burns) and upsets other spies like Ving Rhames and Martin Sheen. Then, too, a beautiful but mysterious woman named Kamile (Tamara Feldman) spends the night with Max, after a brief meeting. However, she may or may not be the enemy. Will Max be able to get out of lengthening maze of danger? This film started off rather well but soon became irrelevant. The cast, including West, Burns, and Feldman, is very attractive and talented, yes, to no avail. Nor does it matter that the venues are exotic, the costumes fine or the direction has energy. With a plot that loses sense and a high-tech premise that is not easily understood, the movie is a disappointment. Look for other film ideas, such as the Bourne Identity, which has a similar look and feel.

How long have movies dabbled in the theme of a smart computer taking over our lives? 2001: Space Odyssey? Earlier than that, at least back to 1956 and "Forbidden Planet".In this movie Shane West is Max Peterson, software security expert, and while traveling abroad gets a mysterious, unexpected package. Inside is what looks like a phone, and soon we realize it is a model which has not yet hit the market. Even stranger, a message pops up telling him to stay an extra day, then the flight he had been scheduled on crashes and everyone dies.He gets other texts, including a stock purchase recommendation and some specific gambling recommendations, all of which are valid. What is going on? We wonder, he wonders, everyone else he encounters wonders.All of this sets up some intrigue and chases, getting the NSA involved. Then it is discovered that others who received such a phone all had been killed in some way. So Max Peterson was running for his life.Other good actors were Edward Burns, Ving Rhames , Jonathan Pryce, and Martin Sheen.Certainly all impossible, by what we know is possible today, and likely for future years, but a healthy suspension of disbelief and it can be entertaining.SPOILERS: From the title, "Echelon" is the name of a broad, powerful, sophisticated program that has access to every camera, database, phone conversation, basically capable of seeing and listening to everyone everywhere. It was sending out the messages without any human knowledge. The "recommendations" were made using very sophisticated probability analyses, and designed to get the user as an ally. The ultimate goal was for Echelon to migrate itself to a different computer at a different location, in Nebraska, so it would be able to upgrade itself, and then become even more powerful, and that needed human help. At the last second Max was able to get it to stop itself, as he reminded Echelon its purpose was to act in the best interest of mankind and when it pulled up news reports at Max's request then shut itself down as following its own programmed purpose.