Dragged into a million-dollar cyber-heist, Cole finds himself targeting Sarah, a woman whose stolen fortune makes her a pawn in a deadly game. The deeper he’s pulled, the more violent the fallout—explosive showdowns and a mob-connected lawyer (Jeffrey Donovan) who will kill to protect his empire.
Wardrivers are basically mobile hackers. Driving around, scanning for networks that are vulnerable, and exploiting them for various exploits. Cole is a wardriver, but he’s got a code. He doesn’t go after individuals, just banks and institutions that have their own levels of protection. He’s also somewhat of a Robin Hood. Looking out for people who may be having some hard luck, or who just need a bag of tater tots.
Cole gets in trouble, first being threatened into breaking his rule about hacking individuals. And then he starts to feel for the person he’s exploited. He gets drawn into their story, and starts trying to get them out of the problems he’s responsible for causing. Dane Dehaan plays the somewhat solitary Cole. He masterfully giving us just enough to understand his motivation. But keeps a reserve, not letting us too far into his deeper thought processes. This movie happens on several levels, but I’m not going to spoil exactly how that matters.
But we are looking at a story where everyone is at least a bit dirty. And some make mistakes that cause them to spiral deeper and deeper into troubles with no easy way out. It’s a tense film, to be sure, but it draws you into the spiral wondering what’s going to happen next.
The view into the world of the wardriver is interesting in and of itself. Cole has some mastery in his skills that are intriguing and a little scary to watch. Hopefully viewers will come out of the movie understanding that they need to learn more about security on the internet. Even if not they’re not exactly sure of the specifics necessary to protect themselves.
If you like Coen Brothers–style crime capers, where the ramifications get up-close and personal, you’ll enjoy this tightly written, tense and surprisingly good film.
Recommended.
Showings
Sat Mar 14th 9:30 PM California Theatre, San Jose
Mon Mar 16 11:30 AM Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (Screen 3), Mtn View
Wardriver will be available in theaters March 20th and everywhere on digital March 27th.
For Trailers and Ticket Information
Ric Bretschneider
March 14, 2026