Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma piles on the revenge and comedy

Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma is a horror-comedy and revenge thriller mashup, based on the director's experience losing money in a phishing scheme. The first 10 minutes of the film are based on the actual experience, but the remaining runtime is dedicated to a fantasy timeline where they take justice into their own hands and punish the hacker. Directed by Shane Brady, who also stars alongside Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead), the film twists and turns through the family's elaborate scheme to exact their revenge and get their money back, and make sure their hacker feels it in the process.

Hacked is one of the most online and current films out there right now. It involves online payments, phishing schemes, content creation, and even brain rot. We start with our main characters Sean and Emily, filmmakers who are looking to purchase their first home. When their teenage boys, who run their own content creation platform, anger a hacker that goes by the alias The Chameleon while playing video games, their idyllic home-buying journey takes a sideways tumble when they are duped by the angry hacker into depositing their $20,000 payment directly to him. Where the real story ends and a bank investigation ensues here, the film explores the possibility of the family coming together and hunting him down on their own. 

Courtesy of S&R Films

This film has a very clear and omnipresent voice. It knows exactly what it wants to be, and it doesn’t shy away from a single thing. It reminds me a lot of the old Lonely Island shorts, down to the music, where they had such a clear vision of what they wanted and they didn’t really care if everyone else thought it was funny because they did. Like with any other comedy film that is based a lot on bits, some really hit and others fall completely flat. I found myself cackling at some of the dumbest things throughout and while not everything was dialed in perfectly, there were enough shots taken that many ended up going in. This is not going to be a film for everyone, and if you find yourself really not vibing with the humor early, you will have issues late when it really pushes further but if you can get on the same wavelength early, you will find yourself in stitches throughout.

The performances here were so endearing and elevated the film to new levels. Chandler Riggs as the Chameleon is excellent. My only exposure to Chandler thus far has been the mild mannered and mostly quiet young Carl from The Walking Dead but this drug-addled, malicious, narcissistic psychopath performance was absolutely spot-on by Riggs. He was so smarmy and unlikable that even when he was getting tortured, you felt happy as the viewer. To juxtapose Riggs, the boys were an absolute delight. Played by Owen Atlas and Collin Thompson, the two boys have electric chemistry and banter and are strikingly believable as these young content creators. The genre mash-up sounds very convoluted and while it could feel a little much at times, I think they all worked together harmoniously. Even with the short run time, this can feel a little stretched. Some of the bits at the end had me desiring for a wrap up but when we did arrive at the landing, it felt complete and justified.

Courtesy of S&R Films

Hacked is the true definition of making lemonade out of the lemons you are handed. A terrible situation turned into a truly hilarious and suspenseful film that must have felt cathartic to construct for Shane Brady. If you are a fan of skit comedy such as Lonely Island or I Think You Should Leave, I think you would have a really good time with this fresh feature.

You can catch Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma on VOD and digital on June 2nd.