THE MATRIX (Warner Bros. - 1999) Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano Screenplay by the Wachowski Brothers Produced by Joel Silver Directed by the Wachowski Brothers Running time: 136 minutes
Note: Some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers. Be forewarned.
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If one only considers their excellent previous film, the taut, intensely-plotted lesbians-versus-the-mob caper picture BOUND, there would appear to be little to connect the Wachowski Brothers with the dazzling futuristic thriller THE MATRIX, but when taking into account their background as Chicago-based comic book writers, the picture quickly clears. Wildly imaginative and visually frenetic, THE MATRIX is essentially a sensational live-action comic book put to celluloid, and reaches spectacular new heights for this film genre.
Already filmmakers of particular distinction on the basis of their attention-grabbing debut picture, THE MATRIX cements the reputation of Larry and Andy Wachowski as first-rate visual stylists who know how to make every shot count. Thanks to the bravura work by cinematographer Bill Pope, who shoots the dark picture with an appealing glossy sheen, this is a fabulous-looking movie, rich in fantastic art design and employing groundbreaking visual technology which, in the hands of visual effects director John Gaeta, result in some truly stunning visceral sequences which overload the cool quotient.
As incredible as the film is simply to look at, it's bolstered by an elaborately-constructed story spanning time and reality, with elements as disparate as mythology and Lewis Carroll factoring prominently into the tale in surprisingly cohesive fashion. (The Wachowskis are so thorough in regards to the latter that not only are there overt "Alice In Wonderland" and "Through The Looking Glass" references, in one scene they even playfully threw footage of scampering rabbits on a background TV set.) Given that one of the joys of the picture is to unweave its unusually well-developed storyline (and that promotional teasers are intentionally vague), suffice it to say that THE MATRIX initially tantalizes through deliberately-oblique scenes which intrigue, leaving gaping holes without trying our patience, and eventually reveals itself to be a futuristic Things Are Not What They Seem To Be variant, with a ragtag group of survivors including the zen-like Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) recruiting computer hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) to help save the world. It's comic book mentality run amok, more ambitious than it perhaps ought to be, but it's far more consistent and better realised than the similarly-styled THE FIFTH ELEMENT.
Aside from the flashy, hyperkinetic camerawork, the film distinguishes itself through its arresting action sequences. The Wachowskis were clearly influenced by John "More Bullets" Woo, and the picture's gunfire battles, especially one involving Neo and Trinity pinned down in the lobby of an office building by the sinister Agents, are spectacular -- the best in any American action picture since, not coincidentally, Woo's own FACE/OFF. As the steaming spent shell cases rain down in slow motion and marble pillars are pulverized in the frenzy of ammunition, it's an adrenaline thrill to watch the heroic characters performing impossibly evasive gymnastic stuntwork amidst the cheerfully wanton violence. The martial arts fight sequences are similarly jaw-dropping and almost certainly the best to ever come from a North American film. Impressively choreographed by Hong Kong stunt master Yuen Wo Ping and vastly energetic, the wired hand-to-hand combat in conjunction with the energized camerawork produce such eye-popping results that they appear to be straight out of video games and Japanese anime, showcasing limitless flexibility of the combatants in terms of speed and fluid airborne motion. Through it all, the actors are imbued with a glamorous cool chic, adorning ultra-hip black-dominated apparel with the requisite sunglasses; this is a picture which not only looks great, but where it's also crucial to look great.
The film also sounds terrific due to stellar sound work by David Lee, who captures each squib with precision, and through the fierce score by Don Davis (who's assisted by a top-notch rock soundtrack featuring the likes of Rage Against The Machine and Prodigy). From top to bottom, THE MATRIX is a technically superb accomplishment.
With the riveting imagery on display in the picture, the best that the actors can hope to fare is to avoid being overwhelmed by the visuals, and they're largely up to the challenge. While Reeves and Fishburne acquit themselves admirable in the physical aspects of their roles, the actors who leave the greatest impression are Moss, whose commanding presence as a leather-clad warrior reminded me of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman in BATMAN RETURNS and Famke Janssen's lethal Xenia Onatopp from GOLDENEYE and who tackles her intense action sequences with a ferocious vigor, and veteran Australian actor Hugo Weaving as the menacing Agent Smith, who has a wonderfully flat, dispassionate delivery, speaking his lines without really moving his lips.
While THE MATRIX has its share of flaws -- its coda is far less inventive than the rest of the picture, the laboured love story plays as if it was tossed in as a concession, the zen dialogue often feels like third-rate Yodaisms, and the Cypher character (Wachowski regular Joe Pantoliano) tips his hand far too early -- it's still a wild ride with much more interesting writing than per the norm. The film isn't as provocative as it's likely meant to be, but it ably takes the audience into a memorable world with unprecedented dazzling visuals. "Whoa," whispers an amazed Neo during one scene; it's also the effect which THE MATRIX leaves.
[ *** 1/2 (out of four stars) | Alternate Rating: A- ]
- Alex Fung, April 03, 1999
email: aw220@freenet.carleton.ca
web : http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/
-- Alex Fung (aw220@freenet.carleton.ca) | http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/ "X-FILES fans come up to me in malls expecting me to be able to fill them in on the whole conspiracy. Half the time I have no idea what they're talking about." - Martin Landau
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