What
if virtual reality wasn't just for fun, but was being used to imprison you?
That's the dilemma that faces mild-mannered computer jockey Thomas Anderson
(Keanu Reeves) in The Matrix. It's the year 1999, and Anderson (hacker
alias: Neo) works in a cubicle, manning a computer and doing a little
hacking on the side. It's through this latter activity that Thomas makes the
acquaintance of Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who has some interesting news
for Mr. Anderson — none of what's going on around him is real. The year is
actually closer to 2199, and it seems Thomas, like most people, is a victim
of The Matrix, a massive artificial intelligence system that has tapped into
people's minds and created the illusion of a real world, while using their
brains and bodies for energy, tossing them away like spent batteries when
they're through. Morpheus, however, is convinced Neo is "The One" who can
crack open The Matrix and bring his people to both physical and
psychological freedom. The Matrix is the second feature film from the
sibling writer/director team of Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski, who made
an impressive debut with the stylish erotic crime thriller Bound.| Keanu Reeves | Neo |
| Laurence Fishburne | Morpheus |
| Carrie-Anne Moss | Trinity |
| Hugo Weaving | Agent Smith |
| Gloria Foster | Oracle |
| Joe Pantoliano | Cypher |
| Marcus Chong | Tank |
| Paul Goddard | Agent Brown |
| Robert Taylor | Agent Jones |
| Julian "Sonny" Arahanga | Apoc |
| Matt Doran | Mouse |
| Belinda McClory | Switch |
| Anthony Ray Parker | Dozer |
Genre/Type - Science Fiction, Sci-Fi Action
Produced by - Groucho II Film Partnership / Silver Pictures /
Village Roadshow Pictures
Release - Mar 31, 1999 (USA)
Released by - Warner Brothers
Running time - 136 min.
Versus (2001, Ryuhei Kitamura)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003, Jonathan Mostow)
Equilibrium (2002, Kurt Wimmer)
Lain: Navi
Lain: Knights
Lain: Deus
Lain: Reset
Skyggen (1998, Thomas Borch Nielsen)
is followed by: The Matrix Reloaded (2003, David R. Ellis, Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski, Kimble Rendall)