The Matrix

United States, Australia

1999

136 Min

Color

2.40:1

English

Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
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DIR Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

EXEC Bruce Berman, Andrew Mason, Barrie M. Osborne, Erwin Stoff, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

SCR Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

CAST Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Gloria Foster, Marcus Chong, Julian Arahanga, Matt Doran, Belinda McClory, Anthony Ray Parker, Paul Goddard, David Aston

Thomas A. Anderson is a man living two lives. By day he is an average computer programmer and by night a malevolent hacker known as Neo. Neo has always questioned his reality but the truth is far beyond his imagination. Neo finds himself targeted by the police when he is contacted by Morpheus, a legendary computer hacker branded a terrorist by the government. Morpheus awakens Neo to the real world, a ravaged wasteland where most of humanity have been captured by a race of machines which live off of their body heat and imprison their minds within an artificial reality known as the Matrix. As a rebel against the machines, Neo must return to the Matrix and confront the agents, super powerful computer programs devoted to snuffing out Neo and the entire human rebellion. —IMDb

Director

Andy Wachowski

The younger half of the writing-directing-producing team The Wachowski Brothers, Andy Wachowski dropped out of Emerson College in Boston to pursue a career in show business. Collaborating with his older brother Larry, the duo completed their first script which was optioned by producer Dino De Laurentiis and eventually became the Warner Bros. feature “Assassins” (1995). Another writer polished the script, so the finished product, starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas as hit men, veered between generic actioner and character study and ended up a box-office disappointment.

The Wachowskis chose a chancy project for their directorial debut, “Bound” (1996), a romance-thriller featuring Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon as criminal lesbians in love. Drawing on influences as varied as Billy Wilder (“Double Indemnity” 1944), Roman Polanski (“Chinatown” 1974) and Sam Raimi (“The Evil Dead” 1983), the brothers set out to create a modern film noir that would invert the genre. With… read more

The younger half of the writing-directing-producing team The Wachowski Brothers, Andy Wachowski dropped out of Emerson College in Boston to pursue a career in show business. Collaborating with his older brother Larry, the duo completed their first script which was optioned by producer Dino De Laurentiis and eventually became the Warner Bros. feature “Assassins” (1995). Another writer polished the script, so the finished product, starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas as hit men, veered between generic actioner and character study and ended up a box-office disappointment.

The Wachowskis chose a chancy project for their directorial debut, “Bound” (1996), a romance-thriller featuring Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon as criminal lesbians in love. Drawing on influences as varied as Billy Wilder (“Double Indemnity” 1944), Roman Polanski (“Chinatown” 1974) and Sam Raimi (“The Evil Dead” 1983), the brothers set out to create a modern film noir that would invert the genre. With its elaborately stylish camerawork and intriguing story, “Bound” fell into the category of work that one either loved or hated. Receiving generally appreciative reviews, it found a limited, but appreciative audience.

On the other hand, “The Matrix” (1999), the proposed first in a trilogy of futuristic spectaculars that borrowed heavily from such diverse sources as the Bible, “Alice in Wonderland”, Hong Kong action flicks and mythology, proved a popular success. Over a period of more than five years, the brothers developed the story for this comic book come to life, penning 14 drafts and overseeing the design of some 500 storyboards. The arduous shoot required the actors (including Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Anne Moss) to undergo extensive physical conditioning so the film’s innovative, special effects-driven set pieces would have a unique visual flair. The meticulous planning paid off as the film opened at Number One and quickly grossed over $100 million, virtually assuring that the other parts of the trilogy would be successes. After nearly a four-year wait, “Matrix Reloaded” (2003), the second installment, hit theaters. —tcm

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Lana Wachowski

Born on June 21, 1965, in Chicago, Illinois, Lana Wachowski grew up as Laurence Wachowski with younger brother Andy. The two entered filmmaking as screenwriters and directed 1996’s film Bound before going on to helm the groundbreaking Matrix films. They later produced V for Vendetta, and directed the films Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas. Lana has also become a lauded spokesperson for transgender rights.

Early Life and Career

Lana Wachowski was born on June 21, 1965, to parents Lynne and Ron Wachowski. Lana grew up as Laurence Wachowski (also known as Larry Wachowski) in Chicago, Illinois, with younger brother Andy Wachowski. Though biologically male, as a child Larry also identified with girls, existing between both genders and later struggling with depression and suicidal ideation due to social stigma.

Wachowski attended Whiney M. Young Magnet High School, taking on TV and theater programs, before going on to Bard College. She eventually dropped out to work for a… read more

Born on June 21, 1965, in Chicago, Illinois, Lana Wachowski grew up as Laurence Wachowski with younger brother Andy. The two entered filmmaking as screenwriters and directed 1996’s film Bound before going on to helm the groundbreaking Matrix films. They later produced V for Vendetta, and directed the films Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas. Lana has also become a lauded spokesperson for transgender rights.

Early Life and Career

Lana Wachowski was born on June 21, 1965, to parents Lynne and Ron Wachowski. Lana grew up as Laurence Wachowski (also known as Larry Wachowski) in Chicago, Illinois, with younger brother Andy Wachowski. Though biologically male, as a child Larry also identified with girls, existing between both genders and later struggling with depression and suicidal ideation due to social stigma.

Wachowski attended Whiney M. Young Magnet High School, taking on TV and theater programs, before going on to Bard College. She eventually dropped out to work for a time as a carpenter with brother Andy, back in their home city. The two were also consummate devotees of fantasy fiction and comic books, and wrote for a Marvel Comics imprint series, Ectokid.

Writing ‘Assassins’ and Directing ‘Bound’

The Wachowskis started working in Hollywood with producer Joel Silver by penning a script for the Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas action flick Assassins (1995). They were then given directing and screenwriting duties for the sultry, women-centered heist film Bound (1996), starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly.

Launching ‘The Matrix’

The siblings ended up directing and co-writing a groundbreaking work that explored existential philosophies in a dynamic storyline: The Matrix. The 1999 film, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss, had a story that scrutinized the virtual world of a future era, and revolutionized the interplay of action choreography and CGI effects. The movie grossed more than $460 million worldwide and was followed by two 2003 sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Though enjoying huge success, the siblings decided to maintain their privacy.

The Wachowskis returned to the comic world for their next project, producing and writing the 2006 film adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novel V for Vendetta. The movie, directed by James McTeigue, starred Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman as characters in a dystopic England undergoing revolution, as sparked by a masked figure.

In 2008, the siblings produced, directed and co-wrote a kaleidoscopic adaptation of the 1960s animated series Speed Racer. The two returned to working as producers with McTeigue for 2009’s Ninja Assassin.

Cloud Atlas’ and Coming Out

Two-thousand twelve was a momentous year for the Wachowskis. In late October 2012, they released their adaptation of the David Mitchell novel Cloud Atlas, which they co-directed with German filmmaker Tom Tykwer, and which features Halle Berry and Tom Hanks.

Also in 2012, Lana also began making public statements about her experience as a transgendered person. Openly living as a woman since 2000, she has talked about her outlook on gender during promotions for Atlas and in an eloquent gala speech for the Human Rights Campaign. She also received the HRC’s Visibility Award in 2012. —biography.com

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