Cyberpunk kung fu at it's best

Rating: Null/10 (9 December 1999)

The Wachowski brothers follow up their excellent neo-noir film Bound with this visually amazing cyberpunk action flick. I can't believe this is only the second movie these guys have made. The Wachowskis wisely retained several team members from Bound, including cinematographer Bill Pope, composer Don Davis, editor Zach Staenberg, and actor Joe Pantoliano (here in a smaller role than Bound). Keanu Reeves isn't as annoying as he tends to be, and pulls off his fight scenes surprisingly well. All the actors do, thanks to rigorous training by legendary Hong Kong action director Yuen Woo-Ping. I've always said that American action directors should take a lesson from their Hong Kong counterparts, possibly the best directors of action on the planet. Hugo Weaving is a great villain, I think the only other movies I've seen that he was involved with are Babe and the unfairly ignored Babe: Pig In The City (he did voice work for both, only briefly in the latter), but I'm already a fan.
The film takes it's story from many disparate elements, including crime films, cyberpunk fiction, Japanese anime, and kung fu movies, all of which are things I like. The stylistic influence of directors such as John Woo, Tsui Hark, Mamoru Oshii, and others are evident in many scenes.
The cinematography by Bill Pope is also excellent, as usual. Wheras Bound had a great film noir-style "b&w in color" look, everything in the Matrix seems to have a sickly green computerish color, as if everything is shot under fluorescent light.
In some ways, the story makes me think a lot of the story of Bound, both are about a journey to freedom, and the majority of the film being set either in the Nebuchanezzar or The Matrix reminds me of Bound being set mostly in two rooms. With only two films under their belts, the Wachowski brothers are already a major talent to watch for, I eagerly await their upcoming Matrix prequel and sequel (I wonder which is going to be made first).