Yup. Blade Runner/Ghost in the Shell and Big Trouble in Little China would be my two movies to introduce new players to Shadowrun. You need BTiLC to somewhat explain the Magic part.

I think A big one that no one has mentioned is Strange Days. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Days_%28film%29 Although set in 1999, and no Magic. It is probably the second best Shadowrun style movie next to Johnny M... The main character is basically an ex-cop BTL dealer who stumbles onto a major conspiracy. I really liked it, maybe you will to (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

nezumi mentioned it, but not by name. It's definitely a good one for getting the feel of the world.

Shadowrun by its very nature is cross genre, and so no single live action film fits the bill. But going with the goal of the fewest possible...

Ronin is what runners do. I have never seen a better film for this purpose.

Blade Runner crossed with Lord of the Rings is the world they do it in. Both of these films were clearly inspiration for the game's writers, and are well known, so a new player has probably seen at least one.

My wallet certainly felt sucker punched after i saw it. One of those movies where the trailer is better, i felt.

For very pink mohawk shadowrun games, I'd volunteer Enthiran as a theme movie.

It has a lot of necessary plot elements. Advanced technology, competitors trying to use your innovations for their best interests, poaching researchers, inadvertently unleashing pandemonium on the city, a frantic dash to fix it, and a remote controlled robot army.

Plus, its absolutely ridiculous.

I had forgot about Strange Days. Its a pretty good film. Much better than Johnny M. , unfortunatly. Although based on a Gibson story, Johnny M. just isn't that well written/made a film. It has the classic cyberpunk elements, but its implementation is just shakey. It comes off low budget and full of cheese. I caught it on cable recently. YMMV, but I was a bit dissapointed.

I agree that there is no one movie that truely captures Shadowrun. But for Runner's actions I like to show movies like The Saint, The Score, Italian Job, I'm not as much of a fan of the Ocean's series unless it is the original old school, and for a little pink mohawk the Smokin' Aces Set. That's not all of the list but some that I haven't seen here yet.

I'm equally surprised no one has said Heat.
Michael Mann is where it is at. Well, except for Manhunter.

Oh! I've got it!

Harry Potter!

No really, just replace Muggle with Joe Average, Voldemort with Dragon, Ministry of Magic with Government, Hogwarts with Sponsoring Company... Snape with Mr. Johnson (Or maybe Dumbledore, on their side, but never gives them all the info). They go through the classic mission steps, including legwork, attempted mission, wrench in mission, alternately hindered and helped by Mr. J. Okay, setting is a bit more light hearted and lacks the tech, but it fits better than you might think at first glance.

Okay, so it isn't a perfect fit, but it is something the person is likely to have already watched/read (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

Do we have some multimillionaires at dumpshock? Could PLEASE somebody with sufficient financial backgrounds simply MAKE an SR-Movie? The users could make proposals which actors would fit etc.

Cast A Deadly Spell.

A classic Film Noir from the Nineties in a end-1940s setting where magic returned to Earth and everybody's using it. You follow the steps of an old-fashioned private eye who refuses to dabble in the new arts. You meed a construction site that employs zombies, vampire hookers in a police station, a sinister mage with a giant black voodoo zombie, a plot revolving around a spellbook, a girl on horseback hunting unicorns for sport ... the movie has it all. Minus the Cyber.

http://www.zimbio.com/watch/BiF735YjFgX/Ca...ll/Clancy+Brown

AAS

O_O

And I din't know this movie. Shame on me. I'll so get me this from somewhere. Perfectly legally, naturally.

Of course.^^

I would posit that Robocop is a vital SR movie experience for numerous reasons: the clash of urban decay and futuristic chrome in one city, entertainment aimed at the lowest common denominator crafted by corporate interests, a police force that has been privatized but still thinks of themselves as police first and foremost, super-criminals run amok, and an honest to god Cyberzombie.

But first, and foremost, the single most important of those reasons (and setting aside that it's a brilliantly crafted piece of satire and of filmmaking in its own right): OCP *IS* Ares. You want to understand Ares, you watch Robocop (and to a considerably lesser extent the sequels) to understand what the Ares corporate culture is. And to a lesser degree, Megacorp culture in general.

Cast a Deadly Spell definitely fits SR magic/noir shenanigans.

I personally rather liked Sucker Punch. Precisely because it was completely and ridiculously over the top; that's what I came for. I had no expectation that there would be a plot that did anything more than hold action scenes together in the flimsiest way possible. The action scenes were pretty (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I think all of the movies above are good choices (well, the ones I have seen) , even though they each only represent selected elements of the setting. I'd like to add Equilibrium into the mix for the dystopian setting, the greyscale morality and what can only be gunslinger adepts.

Of the movies above, I want to give +1s to Ronin (for the feel, if not setting) and Blade runner (for the feel and setting, though mundane).

I'll let you know after tonights power ball drawing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/silly.gif)

Geez...nobody said Strange Days for the snuff BTLs?

Amen to that Raven. Smokin' Aces (at least the first one, I haven't seen the second one yet) definitely captures the nature of a run that goes sour and the general feel of a shadowrun. Whether it be the kick down the door style of the Tremor brothers, the sniper and spotter team, the cops, the disguise dude, Morris the Blade (I think that was his name), and the bail bondsmen, it does showcase how many different people can be playing at the same thing.
Sure Aces doesn't have cyber or magic, but all in all, it is a fine movie (if by fine movie, we are talking over the top goofy fun).

Equilibrium works to an extent for the SR feel. By no means perfect, but still good for the combat.

At least two people did. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Missed it then, sorry.

How about Gattaca for the high-but-still-ineffectual security and eugenics?

Smokin' Aces Two is the same as Smokin' Aces One, except turn up the pink mohawk and add just a pinch of the Usual Suspects.

It had exploding clowns. It was fun. It definitely describes SR for some groups I've played with.

I am not sure what was funnier about the midget clowns. The scene of them getting fired out of their own cannon or the little fast forward scene of them being nabbed to begin with. Not to mention the hiest on the military base. How many people that saw that scene did not immediately think that the writer had been at a gaming table at some point in his life.

What about Judge Dredd?

Die infidel!!!!!!!!