Noir-punk at its finest!

Rating: 7/10 (5 April 1999)

If John Woo and James Cameron (pre-Titanic) conspired to make a film, it would likely look like this! Noir-punk at it's finest! The martial arts and gunfights are strictly Hong Kong visual poetry. The special effects and action stars are in-your-face Hollywood.
It is an interesting mix that has failed before because of the diluting effect each genre has on the other. (The Replacement Killers, Hard Target, and The Corruptor come to mind.) But The Matrix has the good sense to keep the genres in their own sphere of expertise. When it's a martial arts scene, the action is pure Sonny Chiba or Sammo Hung. When the special effects occur the audience gets served a helping of eye-popping big-budget CGI.
The Matrix is sure to become a sci-fi favorite like Terminator 2, Predator, or Blade Runner.