Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down The Matrix! The Matrix is a 1999 American science fiction action film written and directed by The Wachowskis, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano. It depicts a dystopian future in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality called “the Matrix”, created by sentient machines to subdue the human population, while their bodies’ heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source. Computer programmer “Neo” learns this truth and is drawn into a rebellion against the machines, which involves other people who have been freed from the “dream world”. The Matrix is known for popularizing a visual effect known as “bullet time“, (an optical effect that had its origins in the filmKill and Kill Again) in which the heightened perception of certain characters is represented by allowing the action within ashot to progress in slow-motion while the camera’s viewpoint appears to move through the scene at normal speed. The film is an example of the cyberpunk science fiction genre.^[5] It contains numerous references to philosophical and religious ideas, and prominently pays homage to works such as Plato‘s Allegory of the Cave,^[6] Jean Baudrillard‘sSimulacra and Simulation^[7] and Lewis Carroll‘s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.^[8] The Wachowskis’ approach to action scenes drew upon their admiration for Japanese animation^[9] and martial arts films, and the film’s use of fight choreographers and wire fu techniques from Hong Kong action cinema was influential upon subsequent Hollywood action film productions.

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down Die Hart with guest Jimmy O! Die Hard is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart. It follows off-duty New York City Police Department officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) as he takes on a group of highly organized criminals led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who perform a heist in a Los Angeles skyscraper under the guise of a terrorist attack using hostages, including McClane’s wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), to keep the police at bay. It is based on Roderick Thorp‘s 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, the sequel to 1966’s The Detective, which was adapted into a 1968 film of the same name that starred Frank Sinatra. Fox was contractually obliged to offer Sinatra the lead role in Die Hard, but he turned it down. The studio then pitched the film to Arnold Schwarzenegger as a sequel to his 1985 action film Commando, who turned it down, as did a host of the era’s action stars, and finally and reluctantly gave it to Willis, then known primarily as a comedic television actor. Made for $28 million, Die Hard grossed over $140 million theatrically worldwide, and received a positive reception from critics. The film turned Willis into an action star, became a metonym for an action film in which a lone hero fights overwhelming odds, and is now widely considered one of the greatest action movies ever made. The film spawned the Die Hard franchise, which includes four sequels, video games, and a comic book.