Do we realize that even if we earn all the money in the world, we won’t be having enough time to spend it? So why do we need it? Is it because of greed, lack of self-realization, or a mistaken thought that we are immortal? We’re not immortal and it won’t happen no matter how far the technology in health system advances.
Written and directed by Kim Nguyen, “The Hummingbird Project” follows cousins from New York, Vincent Zaleski (Jesse Eisenberg) and Anton (Alexander Skarsgård), who come up with an ambitious plan to dig a 4 inch fiber-optic tunnel from Kansas to New York, all for getting stock market quotes in 16 milliseconds – one millionth of a second faster than anyone else. As they begin digging deep to materialize the insane plan that can make them multimillionaires, their boss (Salma Hayek) constantly follows them step by step to end the journey the two have started.
Whatever happens, Anton and Vincent will have to make a long way to realize there are things much more important than money and the time they have will never be enough to compensate for lost opportunities they could have spent with those that love them more than the piece of paper they call money. Anton is the brain of a project that must build a software that will be as fast as 6 milliseconds, while Vincent plays the role of a negotiator or rather a hustler, to secure the finance. As we follow two incredibly talented men, we see their struggles and sacrifices they make – one deals with a sudden health issue while the other one with a family that he can’t really dedicate time to. On top of that, there’s a project that can cement their names in the history of financial districts, by doing what the rest of geniuses could not – to measure victory in milliseconds.
Jesse Eisenberg delivers another memorable performance as a charismatic man with a creative mind, Vincent Zaleski, who’s obsessed about the fastest line. Alexander Skarsgård as Anton Zaleski is stellar. His performance alone is enough to watch Nguyen’s film regardless of whether you like the concept or not. Salma Hayek as the ruthless boss Eva Torres is what the cinema of nowadays need to capture that sometimes women can be worse than men, which Eva Torres succeeded in proving that point.
In conclusion, “The Hummingbird Project” is not just a film about how to turn a millionth of a second into millions of profits, but rather cleverly captures the impact of money on our society, its drive and way of controlling minds. As it has its own implications, the fast-talking Vincent and the true genius Anton know well all the possible outcomes their project can bring, but they continue pursuing their goal hand-in-hand stopping at nothing at all. But at some point they will though, to reflect at what they have done, what they have earned and whether all the efforts they made for money is worth it at all….