If you’re a fan of Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead’s mind-bending universe, you will recognize actor Shane Brady from films like The Endless and Synchronic. But he is also a talented filmmaker. In 2022, Brady’s directorial debut, Breathing Happy, a weird, wonderful journey through grief and recovery, had its World Premiere at Chattanooga Film Festival. Brady is back for CFF 2025 with his sophomore feature film, the hilariously riotous Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma, which he wrote and directed, and believe it or not, it’s based on a true story.
In 2021, Brady and his wife Emily were planning to buy their first house but were, unfortunately, the victims of a hacker who stole their $20,000 deposit via wire fraud. So, they decided to make a movie about the experience with the log line, “The first ten minutes of this film are based on true events. The rest is what we wish we could have done to that bastard.” The result is a true crime revenge film full of eccentric characters, wildly funny dark humor, whimsical sequences, and ceaseless pandemonium.
In Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma, Brady plays Mark Rumble, who, along with his wife Amy (Augie Duke) and teenage sons Freddy (Collin Thompson) and Ralph (Owen Atlas), are looking forward to buying their first home. Freddy and Ralph spend their time making videos for fun and gaming online. After Freddy and Ralph get into an argument with another gamer, who they have no idea is Florida’s most elusive hacker, the family’s life erupts into chaos. The hacker, who has been dubbed The Chameleon, has scammed countless victims out of massive amounts of money and has somehow eluded capture. The disagreement with the teenage Rumbles, plus the fact the guy’s a raging asshole, is enough to cause him to steal the family’s $20,000 down payment for their new house. Chandler Riggs, who you will recognize as young Carl Grimes in “The Walking Dead”, gives an exceptionally entertaining performance as the despicable, self-absorbed Chameleon who scams people for fun. Riggs makes it very easy to hate this guy.
Brady is superb as Mark and skilled at deadpan line delivery, which perfectly complements Duke’s frantic portrayal of Amy. Thompson and Atlas are outstanding as Freddy and Ralph and their banter with each other feels natural. The Rumbles have such genuine chemistry as a family and there are so many peculiar characters, you would think this movie was probably a lot of fun to make, despite the fact it came about because Brady was the victim of a hacker in real life.
Desperate for money and not wanting to lose their new home, Mark resorts to donating bone marrow, and the family is forced to move into a shady motel. Much like the true story, the bank won’t help them, and the police are useless, so the Rumbles decide to take matters into their own hands and find the Chameleon to get their money back, but also to seek vengeance on the slimy scammer. To their surprise, unconventional CIA agents Kate (Katelyn Nacon) and Nova (Mia Castillo) are willing to work with the Rumbles to capture the Chameleon. While Mark is recovering from bone marrow donation at the motel, Freddy, Ralph, and Agents Kate and Nova hatch an ill-conceived plan to locate the devious hacker and seek retribution for the pain and
suffering the Chameleon inflicted on the Rumbles and so many other victims of his scams. He hasn’t just stolen money; he’s stolen guitars from the rock band Underoath, as well as a five-foot-tall battle axe. If you don’t already have a good idea of just how over-the-top this movie is, in one hysterical sequence, Brady stops the movie, looks directly at the camera, and points out that a completely different actor portrays Mark in a scene, and then the movie continues.
Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma is an uproarious true crime revenge caper that features skillful cinematography, imaginative storytelling, and a fantastic ensemble cast. No exaggeration, this movie is spectacularly, jaw-droppingly laugh out loud funny and the most fun you will have watching a movie this year.
Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma premiered at Chattanooga Film Festival 2025, which is offering a hybrid festival experience again this year.
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