It’s long been said that the truth is stranger than fiction, and I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t get much stranger, more painful, more deliciously vengeful, karmic, and laugh-out-loud ridiculous than the revenge comedy HACKED: A DOUBLE ENTENDRE OF RAGE FUELED KARMA.
Based on true events that happened to writer/director Shane Brady and producer Emily Zercher, HACKED is the story of the Rumble family – parents Mark and Amy and their two buffoonish but caring sons Freddy and Ralph. Having survived the Covid pandemic and all that entailed, the Rumbles emerge on the other side only to have their American Dream of homeownership stolen from them.
Living in sunny Tampa, Florida, the Rumbles are almost at the finish line of buying their dream home. All that remains is wiring the down payment funds. But what happens when the money you send via wire is stolen, hacked, phished, and your life savings vanish into the abyss of the internet? Their $20,000 disappears thanks to Florida’s most elusive hacker, “The Chameleon.”
The real estate agent, whose qualifications seem increasingly questionable by the minute, can’t help them. The bank shrugs. The police are no help. The Rumbles have already given notice to their landlord and have a move-out date looming. Panic and desperation quickly give way to anger and thoughts of revenge. The Rumbles WILL hunt down The Chameleon and take back their money along with everything else he stole.
Making matters even more chaotic, Mom and Dad view the situation as their responsibility, while teenage sons Ralph and Freddy blame themselves for opening Pandora’s phishing box through their own internet carelessness. What neither side realizes is that each has secretly begun putting plans into motion to recover the money and reclaim their future.
And this is where HACKED goes completely batshit.
While Mark and Amy launch their own campaign of karmic justice, circumstances sideline Mark after bone marrow donor surgery, leaving much of the operation in Amy’s hands. Meanwhile, Ralph and Freddy – two wannabe filmmakers whose YouTube ambitions regularly lead them to the craziest ideas imaginable – set out on their own mission. Think the horror-loving duo Chainsaw and Dave from “Summer School,” and you have a pretty good idea of what you’re dealing with. Toss in a pair of deep undercover female CIA agents whom the boys idolize, and the result is one of the wildest cinematic rides imaginable.
The antics grow bolder, louder, and increasingly ridiculous with every passing minute. Just when you think the Rumbles have reached maximum absurdity, they double down. And once they have The Chameleon in their custody, all bets are off. Throw in a Santa Claus armed with his own brand of magical justice for someone sitting atop the Naughty List and chaos reigns supreme.
HACKED: A DOUBLE ENTENDRE OF RAGE FUELED KARMA is, in short, a fever dream of ridiculous hilarity that you either embrace wholeheartedly or dismiss for the nonsense unfolding onscreen. I, for one, having been the victim of identity theft and losing more than $175,000, wholeheartedly embrace the former.
I applaud Shane Brady for this bold catharsis and appreciate both his willingness and talent to transform pain, anger, frustration, and helplessness into something wildly entertaining. Brady smartly uses his own experience as the foundation while challenging his own cinematic creativity in the process. Equally astute is his decision to make Mark Rumble a filmmaker, providing narrative latitude to push the creative envelope well beyond conventional plausibility while still remaining emotionally grounded in the family’s very real loss.
Wearing multiple hats on the production, Brady not only writes and directs but also stars as Mark Rumble. It’s hard not to suspect that much of the rage, frustration, and determination Mark directs toward The Chameleon stems from Brady’s own experience. That authenticity fuels the film’s high-octane energy and helps sell even its most outrageous moments.
Joining Brady in the familial hijinks is Augie Duke as Amy Rumble, while Owen Atlas and Collin Thompson deliver two of the funniest scene-stealing performances of the year as Ralph and Freddy. Atlas and Thompson fully embrace the good-hearted buffoonery of their characters while tapping into today’s YouTube and TikTok culture. Their believable sibling chemistry makes Ralph and Freddy instantly endearing as sons and brothers determined to take responsibility for their mistakes while ultimately joining forces with their parents in pursuit of justice. Meanwhile, Duke provides a frenetic edge to Amy that is a nice complement to Brady’s Mark.
A real treat is the legendary Richard Riehle, who pops in as Santa Claus. Unwilling to miss the opportunity to rehabilitate one of the naughtiest of the naughty, Riehle wields Santa’s magic candy cane with delightful force and fun.
And then there’s The Chameleon.
Chandler Biggs fills the role perfectly as the deranged, egomaniacal villain at the center of the storm. What sets Biggs apart is how skillfully he handles the realization that The Chameleon is no longer the one in control. Physical comedy, facial expressions, and growing desperation speak volumes as the balance of power shifts in increasingly hilarious fashion. Also, keep an eye out for a fun cameo from NHL legend Phil Esposito.
As if writing, directing, and starring weren’t enough, Brady also handles editing duties, keeping the pace brisk and energetic while showcasing the strong camera work of cinematographer Evan Zissimopulos. Employing a mix of sticks and handheld photography, Zissimopulos lets the action dictate movement. Most notably, during many of the film’s more torturous comedic set pieces, he wisely pulls back into wider two-shots, allowing the actors room to play within the frame without restrictive blocking. The result is visually effective and often even funnier.
I would be remiss not to mention the work of production designer Danielle Lopez and set dresser Andrea Davoren, whose Herculean efforts help bring the Rumbles’ elaborate revenge schemes to colorful life. Creative, inventive, and often delightfully over-the-top, their contributions add immeasurably to the film’s visual personality.
Further enhancing the ridiculum is a lively and fast-paced score by Chris Dudley. Matching the film’s emotional and visual bandwidth perfectly, Dudley’s music helps propel the madness forward without ever losing sight of the fun.
At the end of the day, while some of the antics go a bit too far off the rails, what resonates most is that Brady never allows us to forget the real-life crime that inspired this story or the pain inflicted upon those who experienced it. While the Rumbles may rely on improvisational madness, mayhem, and increasingly outrageous and uproarious acts of karmic payback, the emotional core remains firmly rooted in loss, violation, and frustration.
By keeping the performances grounded and the visual tone bright, energetic, and fun, Brady ultimately delivers a reminder that while we may not be able to fight back exactly as the Rumbles do, we can refuse to surrender to the people who seek to victimize us.
Just maybe leave the kidnappings, CIA agents, and magic candy “canes” out of it.
Written and Directed by Shane Brady
Cast: Shane Brady, Augie Duke, Owen Atlas, Collin Thompson, Richard Riehle, Phil Esposito
by debbie elias, 06/11/2026
HACKED: A DOUBLE ENTENDRE RAGE FUELED KARMA is now available on VOD and DVD.
