Travelling Salesman
- 2012
- 1h 20m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
Four mathematicians are hired by the US government to solve the most powerful problem in computer science history.Four mathematicians are hired by the US government to solve the most powerful problem in computer science history.Four mathematicians are hired by the US government to solve the most powerful problem in computer science history.
- Awards
- 1 win
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- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe original draft of the screenplay was written in 2009, years before leaked NSA information detailing cyber-espionage was revealed--a topic discussed directly in the film.
- GoofsEarly in the film, the character Tim Horton asks a colleague about the characteristics of a desert. The colleague replies that they are 'hot'. This is not true, since Antarctica is a desert and is not thought of as being 'hot'. There are many ways to classify an area as a desert. Two of the main methods are that total precipitation is less than 10 inches, and the evaporation being greater than precipitation. 'Hot' is too subjective a term since many people will disagree on what qualifies as 'hot'.
- Quotes
[last lines]
No. 1 - Tim Horton: Don't blink. You might miss something.
Featured review
Interesting in the light of Edward Snowden's revelations...
and beyond. The release date as such (few days have passed since it's available for buying at the movie's website) is spot on.
The movie puts the most emphasis on the philosophy and the moral dilemma of the main characters. Science plays the basic but secondary role as authors can't afford to go deeper into it as science hasn't solved the problem that is solved in this movie and I feel that is the right choice.
In short, a team of four mathematicians has, based on their proof that P=NP, created a machine which can, among many things also break all most commonly used encryption and give the owner huge power in the networked world (overseeing all confidential communication on the internet, bank transaction, breaking into computer systems etc.). As the project was funded by US Govt., they lay right on all results and want to keep those findings classified. Of course, all of the mathematicians understand the short-term ramifications of their finding as well as the dangers of immoral use. They are confronted with a moral dilemma of delivery of the final solution and signing a non-disclosure agreement on all results or opposing the powerful adversary. How would you decide to act in a given situation? The movie is fairly slow into the first 10mins, but the momentum builds up from there on. Acting is very good from all main actors. The only somewhat unconvincing character is the (not so ordinary, mysterious) security officer. The script is troublesome somewhere as some things are left out(context, or sense sometimes as some stuff sound ridiculous) probably on purpose to leave the feeling of something that we couldn't understand as they're talking practically about a proof that has been only constructed imaginary in this movie and whatever they'd reveal about it, it would sound ridiculous as it would not be correct so why not simplify it and just create short fuzzy dialogue in order to keep the movie as tractable and engaging as possible.
Overall: 8/10
The movie puts the most emphasis on the philosophy and the moral dilemma of the main characters. Science plays the basic but secondary role as authors can't afford to go deeper into it as science hasn't solved the problem that is solved in this movie and I feel that is the right choice.
In short, a team of four mathematicians has, based on their proof that P=NP, created a machine which can, among many things also break all most commonly used encryption and give the owner huge power in the networked world (overseeing all confidential communication on the internet, bank transaction, breaking into computer systems etc.). As the project was funded by US Govt., they lay right on all results and want to keep those findings classified. Of course, all of the mathematicians understand the short-term ramifications of their finding as well as the dangers of immoral use. They are confronted with a moral dilemma of delivery of the final solution and signing a non-disclosure agreement on all results or opposing the powerful adversary. How would you decide to act in a given situation? The movie is fairly slow into the first 10mins, but the momentum builds up from there on. Acting is very good from all main actors. The only somewhat unconvincing character is the (not so ordinary, mysterious) security officer. The script is troublesome somewhere as some things are left out(context, or sense sometimes as some stuff sound ridiculous) probably on purpose to leave the feeling of something that we couldn't understand as they're talking practically about a proof that has been only constructed imaginary in this movie and whatever they'd reveal about it, it would sound ridiculous as it would not be correct so why not simplify it and just create short fuzzy dialogue in order to keep the movie as tractable and engaging as possible.
Overall: 8/10
helpful•203
- CiccioButcher
- Sep 16, 2013
- How long is Travelling Salesman?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 20 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
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