9. Hackers Guessing The Password On The Third Try
Notable Offenders: The Italian Job (Remake), Goldeneye In stories there are the rule of three. Things in three are believed to make things inherently funnier, or more satisfying. Three little pigs. Three men of various ethnicity walk into a bar. And computer genius hackers will always guess the totally unsolvable and fiendishly encrypted passwords on major security systems on the third try. You know the scene. Our hacker is not some suited and chiselled computer major. He is a stoner slacker type, who wears T-Shirts that say things like "Life's Too Short To Remove USB Safely." He is needed by the frat boy protagonist to hack into the FBI's or NSA's security system, so our hero can hide all evidence of him ever being there and get that final piece of information that will unlock the final safe and make for a successful heist. Our slacker hacker still lives by high school rules, and won't take our jock boy's crap. What does he know about computers? Now as the audience, we know this hacker type is a genius. He wears glasses so he must be. But why hasn't he been employed by the very agencies he's trying to hack? Seriously, at some point this guy must have realised "Hey you know what? I'm a goddamn genius, I bet I can make ridiculous stacks if I just apply to join the Government agencies." But of course he doesn't. He sticks it to the man, and will one day try bringing them down with a hacking attempt. He tries once and is wrong. He tries once more and fails again. He looks at the clock, time is ticking. Everyone's livelihood depends on this moment. He slowly and agonisingly types one last time. He covers his eyes as he hits Enter. And lo and behold, it works. Because we need our heroes to succeed in order for us to continue and finish the story. While the hacker doesn't get the girl. Or money. But the satisfaction of a geeky job done well.