Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap's Sam Beckett) and Kris Kristofersson (Blade, Pat Garett and Billy the Kid) star in this below average TV movie. It seems quite a lot of money (for a TV movie) has been thrown at this but the pace at times is down to a crawl and Bakula's character seems to have become head of Netforce with a total lack of any computer knowledge. It's dated fairly badly but all movies about computers do that look at Wargames or Tron! But it's main problems are down to a flabby script, pedestrian direction and lack of tension as for the ending i'm not even going to go there! Let's just say it ain't great, I gave this film a 4/10 as it's not a total lost cause but i cant recommend spending 2+hours watching this when there are better films out there. If you want a hacker movie War Games (Mathew Broderick) or Sneakers (Robert Redford, River Phoenix) are better movies in the same sort of area or for a more MTV friendly teen hacker movie then go for Hackers (Angelina Jolie & Tommy Lee Miller).4/10 - If there's nothing better on a rainy Sunday it might pass the time but thats about all, we can only hope the Quantum Leap movie gets off the ground to save Scott Bakula!

When this TVM was made in 1999 I was still somewhat ignorant of the internet . Certainly I'd heard of it but being something of a Luddite I failed to see why more and more people were becoming interested in it and it wasn't until August 2001 that I become connected to the world wide web . One thing I did notice about NETFORCE is that if I remained ignorant about the internet this TVM wouldn't have appeared so bad to me !!!! MILD SPOILERS !!!!One thing that really irritated me is how the writers seem to have confused computer technology with an all encompassing thing called " the internet " . For example the bad guys are able to gain access to the security systems of a maximum security prison via the internet . What you mean the computerised door locking system must connected to the internet in some way ? We see umpteen examples of this ridiculous thinking that because something is computerised it must be connected to the internet in someway ! No . No . No . Computerised systems and the internet are not the one and the same . For example if the internet collapsed tomorrow computers would still work even if it means you can't send emails or write reviews at the IMDb . I could still use my computer as a word processor or play computer games etc the world wouldn't suddenly revert to the stone age because the internet failed There's also several other blunders which led me to believe that the writers are nowhere near as being smart as their audience . If a computer hacker is deleting his system this can be jammed by sticking a floppy disk in the hard drive ! What a floppy disk ? It's never explained why this stops the system being deleted , perhaps the good guys were carrying a back up copy of the villains system ? We're also told to believe that some real hot internet systems can't be traced because they don't use cookies ! As for the VR sex - WTF ! There's also a ridiculous aspect to the team known as " Netforce " . Each member is a computer wizard and a crack secret agent . In effect they're a combination of a computer geek and a Delta Force member . Is this logical or realistic ? Why does a member have to be both a computer expert AND an elite law enforcement agent ? Why can't the organisation employ computer wizards to track down rogue computer operators and then send a crack team of commandos to round up the bad guys ?The whole feel of this TVM screams " TV pilot " and I don't believe for a moment that Tom Clancey and co didn't toy with the idea that this would end up as a long running series but the flaws are instantly obvious . There's only a certain amount of plots in any genre and this techno thriller lasting three hours has used up all potential plots in one go . Be honest , just how long could you tolerate Scott Bakula as an action hero who spends 50% of an episode typing on a computer , 40% of an episode flirting with his female colleague and 10% of an episode shooting bad guys ?

Though lacking in character development, Tom Clancy novels are superb for their plot intricacies and fervent attention to detail. The Hunt for Red October -- the best film adaptation of the Jack Ryan series thus far -- still stands as my favorite film of all time.Like any writer sensing opportunity, Clancy decided to franchise his name to such series as Op Center and Net Force. Op Center was actually a surprisingly "OK" TV mini-series, thanks to the efforts of Harry Hamlin and Lindsay Frost. Net Force, however, is a total disaster.It's difficult even to establish blame. While the notion of an Internet investigations division of the FBI sounds appealing (isn't the Secret Service in fact charged with this responsibility?), everything in Op Center is ludicrous. The sophomoric romantic storyline of Bakula and Going, the uber Bill Gates villain played by Judge Reinhold, and the Kris Kristofferson (Can you believe he was in fact a Rhodes Scholar and former Army pilot??) dead mentor with a secret -- all of this just defies conventional wisdom or reality.Without belaboring the point, Net Force is just plain not entertaining.

One use comments, "I haven't read any of Tom Clancy's books and it is unlikely I will do so. Real life is more interesting!" No wonder he generally panned this made for TV movie.To really be able to appreciate movies based on Clancy's books, one has to: 1) be a Clancy fan; and 2) have read the book before seeing the film. I am a Clancy fan, first and a movie goer, second. So often, the movie fails to live up to the book. That is the case with this movie and was the case with another movie, "Flight of the Intruder," based on Stephen Coonts book of the same name.As it happens, this film could be a page from real life, albeit, a few years in the future. As a "techie" who spends 10-12 hours per day at a computer, I can identify with the characters in the book series and the film. As an American post 9/11/2001, I can also identify with what is going on in the United States regarding the Internet and security.NetForce will, I believe, become a reality before the end of the decade. An organization already exists that foreshadows it's existence. As of this writing, August 11, 2002, the proposed cabinet department of Homeland Security will probably include a department like NetForce.Technically, most of the equipment envisioned by Clancy in NetForce is available or on the near horizon. Moreover, the plot is not unfeasible in the near future, given someone with enough money, technical skill and ambition. Everyday, we see activity on the Internet demonstrating the ability of some people to hack major computer systems. I've always wondered, "What would happen if all of the best hackers in the world got together and had the resources to make a combined attack on the Internet?" At least Clancy has explored the idea with NetForce.In my humble opinion, we sometimes expect too much from movies. This is never more true that when a film looks at the near future. Frequently, by the time the film has been rerun a couple of times, we have reached the time frame of the film. In this instance, when we reach the time frame, 2005, most of the technology will be available, pretty much in the form described in the book and film. And, given the American mind set in 2002, an agency like NetForce could easily exist.As for the made for TV movie, I watch movies to be entertained, not educated. I expect producers and directors to take license with reality, especially with movies set in the future. While the film departs slightly from the book, this was a throughly entertaining film. I'd give it 7/10 stars.