I liked the Matrix, but...

Rating: Null/10 (5 April 1999)

I liked the Matrix, but disagree with everyone who's so nuts about the action scenes. Yes, there is slow-mo, but saying things like "better than The Killer" are misleading at best. John Woo's sense of editing and framing are far better than the Wachowski's. Their use of slow-mo slows things down, rather than giving the action sequences an interesting cadence. (I'm not referring to the "time slice" effect, btw, but the slow-mo used during the gunfights.) If you want to go back to what I believe is the best use of slow-mo, watch the shootout at the end of the Wild Bunch. If you really watch Peckinpah's artistry, you'll notice what the slow-mo is really for: to capture the essence of men fighting desperately for their lives. Watch as the Mexicans appear in doorways, perfectly framed, and then taking a lethal dosage of lead. See a strategically perched soldier get picked off with a quick burst of machine gun fire. And feel a rhythm develop as these little acts of violence are interspersed with quick shots of men firing, reloading, killing and dying. The Wachowski's use slow-mo to make their gunfights "cool" and to pay homage to their cinematic idols. And that's it. What's more important than the action, is to create a surprisingly interesting and engaging story, with likable characters. And the Wachowski's succeeded at that without question.