Reviews by Grand Assault

All reviews - Movies (272) - TV Shows (42) - Books (10) - Music (64) - Games (79)

Sheer brilliance.

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 8 August 2008 12:51 (A review of Dog Day Afternoon)

Films like this reaffirm my faith in cinema. It is without a doubt one of Al Pacino's least recognised film roles, but nevertheless, one of his most endearing and brilliant.

Dog Day Afternoon recreates the true events of a bank robbery that occurred in August, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York City. Pacino plays Sonny, the brains of what turns out to be a very inept organisation of thieves who raid their local bank. The plan immediately begins to collapse when the youngest accomplice breaks down and asks Sonny to leave the gang. During the heist, it emerges that the bank is not actually holding much money in the safe, resulting in a very small haul for the thieves. Upon trying to leave the building, they are confronted with New York's finest, resulting in an epic stand off that is now the stuff of legend.

The heist rapidly transforms into the hottest thing on TV and crowds flock from across the city to watch the public spectacle. Despite the hostage situation, the bank employees immediately build a rapport with Sonny. During his confrontation with the police he eventually exits the bank to talk to the police chief face-to-face and during a hilarious exchange, manages to get the baying crowds on his side. Despite being a common criminal, his charisma electrifies the crowd and they begin chanting his name, much to the bewilderment and frustrations of the police. Further sending them into a fervour, Sonny begins throwing money into the air, causing several elements of the crowd to overrun the police barricades.

The motive behind Sonny's heist soon comes into the public domain, when his pre-op transsexual partner is bought in to try and entice him out of the bank. Sonny is robbing the bank to pay for his operation - a revelation which causes gay rights activists to march on the scene adding further farce to the spectacle. Things take a turn for the serious when the FBI take over negotiations, refusing any further favours for Sonny, but promising to fulfil his flamboyant request for a jet to escape the country. The film ends with a dramatic event on the airport runway and Sonny's character is immortalised forever.

I'd recommend this film to anybody. Al Pacino is brilliant as a bungling, yet immensely charismatic crook and he steals the show. You'll not believe quite how the film escalates into the media frenzy outside the bank, but you'll be kept laughing and entertained throughout.

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Hilarious OTT action.

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 8 August 2008 11:46 (A review of The Condemned)

The premise for The Condemned is simple, it's a Battle Royale rip off. That is to say, a bunch of people are stranded on a desert island and they have to kill each other until only one survivor remains. Instead of school children, The Condemned sets up an island full of convicts on death row. Thankfully, the protagonist (WWE hero Stone Cold Steve Austin) was wrongly imprisoned, so it's OK for us to sympathise with him.

The show is broadcast live, illegally, on the internet and the psychotic director aims to hit a record number of online viewers. He has the archetypal megalomaniac personality and serves only to provide a detestable villain for Stone Cold to hunt down in his spare time. The fact that he is broadcasting live opens up a pointless sub-plot whereby the FBI attempt to crack down on his position, though their investigation seems to just dissolve and end half way through the film.

The rest of the story is filled with hilarious action scenes, with all your favourite rent-a-villains squaring off (unsuccessfully) against Stone Cold. Some of the battles are drastically over the top and at other times, quite brutal. Stone Cold eventually prevails, despite seemingly losing the competition, though he only exacts revenge on the director once Vinnie Jones has mercilessly gunned down the entire crew involved in the production of the sick game. Just about every cliché in the book is ticked off as the WWE continue with their tradition of completely overdoing their explosions and fumbling any emotional aspects of their lead characters' persona.

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Overlooked masterpiece.

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 8 August 2008 08:19 (A review of Cross of Iron)

Cross of Iron is a forgotten World War II gem. Released in 1977, the film is set on the crumbling Eastern Front and delivers a story as told from a refreshing German perspective. As well as fighting against a fearless and bloodthirsty enemy, the film shows the bitter in-fighting between a newly transferred aristocratic general and the almost mythical platoon leader of a Wehrmacht regiment.

The film begins with a montage foreshadowing the events of the Eastern invasion, beginning with a zealous charge towards Moscow and ending with a humiliating and desperate retreat. It cuts to the German infantry unit which remains the focus of the rest of the film, on a scouting mission. They dispatch a soviet platoon with chilling brutality and the violence sets the tone for the remainder of the film. Upon returning to the base they are introduced to a new German General, Stransky, transferred to the Eastern front by his own choice.

The German platoon is both battered and fatigued by war. The ideals and principles he brings with him are lost on the beleaguered and battle hardened men. His lack of combat experience and consequent naivety frustrate his fellow commanding officers, particularly James Coburn's character, Steiner. After an attack by soviet forces, the German outpost is saved by the quick thinking of a German general who loses his life in the battle. Stransky seizes this opportunity to take credit for the victory and nominates himself for the Iron Cross. Steiner refutes the claim, leading to Stransky abandoning their platoon when the rest of the German front retreat. Steiner then must guide his man back to the German lines, breaking through both the Soviet forward position and then through that of his own side.

The films anti-war message is clear throughout. The violence pulls no punches and the toll it takes on the mentality of the troops involved is made clear from the outset. The combat scenes are extremely intense and realistic and the platoon is charismatic and endearing. If you are a fan of war films then I'd definitely recommend Cross of Iron. It certainly holds its own amongst the more glamorous and highly funded war films of today.

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Unclouded memories.

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 2 August 2008 07:20 (A review of Final Fantasy VII)

Final Fantasy VII marked the first foray into 3D RPG gaming for Japanese giant Squaresoft. It was also the first of three hugely successful titles released on the PlayStation console. For many of us growing up in the digital age, it is fondly remembered as a first RPG game and the immense success of the sequels is almost entirely attributable to the solid fan base that this particular game garnered. There are very few RPG series' that can claim to hold such a monopoly over the genre as the Final Fantasy legacy, which is a title that enjoys moderate recognition amongst casual game players, rather than just RPG aficionados.

The game itself throws you straight into the action. The first time I ever played it I was amazed at how the graphics of the opening FMV were seemingly interwoven with the start of the game. You take on the role of a cocky mercenary in the midst of a mission to detonate a huge energy reactor in a dystopian hell-hole of a city. Your character is flippant and disassociated with the task at hand, making it clear that he does not share any of the environmental motivations that fuel his allies on this mission. The three characters you meet early on form the core of the party for the rest of the game. From this point forward the story escalates in scope, beginning with missions in one major city, to eventually embarking on a global campaign to defend the world from celestial obliteration.

The story is epic in scope, building an intense rivalry between the game's protagonist - Cloud Strife, and his former colleague and elite SOLDIER - Sephiroth. As the story unravels, your enemy is increasingly portrayed as a demi-god whose quest for total domination will casually result in the destruction of the civilised world. The rivalry that escalates is intense and believable, made all the more poignant by the personal and mental toll it takes on the emotions and mindset of the protagonist.



At the time of its release, the graphics were lauded as revolutionary and extremely detailed. Nowadays, with the game over ten years old, no player would honestly use those words to describe the visuals. That is why I think it's remarkable that people still pick up and get into the game, even today. The FMV's still hold their own and are vital in conveying highly detailed parts of the storyline, as well as giving you a welcome higher definition example of what monster you are fighting, or how your characters look when they are not pixelated blocks of colour. Each character brings a unique personality to the table, all adding quite substantially to the storyline. Even the two 'hidden' characters have their own moments in the spotlight, with one of the two actually divulging a huge plot twist.

The battle schematics are as good as it gets for a turn-based Active Time Battle system. The magic and weapon systems allow a massive capacity for different tactics and playing styles. Characters are not restricted to a certain type of play as they have been in other Final Fantasy games (e.g a white mage, a black mage, etc), which dispels the established roles of men and women in your party. In my opinion, the Materia system has not been surpassed in any Final Fantasy sequel to date. The complement of limit breaks enhance the unique characteristics of each party member and when dishing them out to an enemy, the feel well-earned and actually have real compassion about them. There are multiple methods, tactics and strategies that can be employed to beat the toughest of enemies and despite playing through the game at least five times to completion, I've never felt as if I've completely mastered and made full use of the system.

Ultimately, the reason I fell in love with the game was its story and its characters. Although some personalities are certainly clichéd, they are, on the whole, a very flawed bunch who struggle with their new expected roles as saviours of the planet. With an increasingly psychotic and almost mythical antagonist taunting them along the journey, you are taken to new weird and wonderful locations, constantly battling against a quite brilliant supporting cast of non-playable characters. The game itself spawned an entire universe of follow-ons and sequels, but my advice would be to ignore them all and take the game as face value. It's much more interesting and debate sparking that way.



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French fervor

Posted : 1 year, 4 months ago on 27 July 2008 06:01 (A review of La Haine)

La Haine follows three French youths over the course of a day in their derelict and run down housing estate in a Parisian suburb. The day comes after intense rioting which occurred the previous night and highlights the after effects of heightened tension between police and the local citizens. As events transpire, we learn that one of the riot police officers lost his weapon during the riot and that it has since been found by Vinz (Cassel), who is determined to prove himself and earn respect in the community by exacting revenge on a police officer.

The entire film is shot in black and white and scores a lot of marks in the cinematography department. The essence of hopelessness and teenage anger saturate the film as the disillusioned youth take it upon themselves to do battle with a relentless and abusive police force. At times, their suburban estate looks as though an ongoing war is being fought thanks to the sheer number of abandoned buildings and rampant urban decay. There is a clear hierarchy on the streets and even the youngest street rats have developed a streetwise personality in the culture of drugs and violence that pervades daily life.

Vincent Cassel, Saïd Taghmaoui and Hubert Kounde all give decent enough performances as the three interracial protagonists who struggle to exist in the run down and neglected neighbourhood. However, they are not helped by the fact that each character profile is cherry-picked from the Hollywood handbook of clichés. We have a gentle, level-headed giant who just wants to leave the ghetto, he is juxtaposed with a hot headed and generally ignorant baby who is determined to prove himself. Then there is the charismatic and confident middle ground who acts as a foil between them, who only seems to talk himself into trouble at the best of times.

The dialogue seemed extremely empty to me. There is a chance that the DVD is poorly subtitled of course, and I kind of hope it is, because there were long periods where I could've just strolled down to the bus stop to hear some more interesting banter. This is also linked into the fact that the plot, towards the end of the film, became extremely non-essential and unrewarding. Despite briefly showing the gulf in status between the Parisian middle-classes and the estate-raised hoodlums, the trip to the centre of Paris seemed to be included on a whim and turned out to be an excuse to wrench in another example of police brutality. It almost became Warriors-esque towards the end with the three main characters struggling to stay safe for long enough before they could get home the next morning. There may be an argument that what occurred and what was said is just a standard example of 'real life', though I thought this exceptionally weak segment of the film removed all of the tension and HATE that had built up at the beginning. Combined with the almost childish dialogue, all of the early themes seemed to dissipate, and the wider problems of brutality, destitution and an underclass lacking in both education and any hope of a decent future were glossed over and heavily diluted. You got the feeling it didn't matter because the protagonists were still getting along just fine. Dandy in fact.

Just as I figured the ending would peter into mediocrity, I was shocked into a state of of confusion by the final scene. It seemed tacked on, rushed and unnecessary. If you are looking for a superb film which documents the hardships of the young under-classes in an oppressive and violent ghetto, then look no further than City of God, which is a much more powerful and solid film.

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A Knight's Tale

Posted : 1 year, 4 months ago on 27 July 2008 10:15 (A review of The Dark Knight)

It has been almost impossible to avoid the hype surrounding The Dark Knight, a film that is guaranteed to be this years biggest summer blockbuster. My own anticipation for this film reached almost unrestrained proportions in the build up to its release in the same manner that it had back in the day when The Matrix: Reloaded was first showcased. Thankfully this film didn't build me up and then throw me back down to Earth with a bump in the same disappointing way that The Matrix managed. With the internet a minefield of spoilers and the incremental release of the film across the world guaranteeing that some American, somewhere, would probably carelessly divulge a huge plot twist before I got to see it for myself, I took the necessary precautions and shut myself away from all media links, reviews, blogs and synopses. In fact, all I had to salivate over was a singular promotional poster of The Joker, back to the camera, wearing his iconic purple suit and wielding a knife and a playing card.

The final result is incredible. Christopher Nolan delivers a comic book adaptation that boasts moralistic themes that are unparalleled amongst other films in the genre. I've seen the status of this film compared with The Empire Strikes Back and I would certainly agree that it surpasses the original Batman Begins story in every way. The second film in any superhero series always has the benefit of not having to develop the heroes origins and initial struggles in the limelight, but something I appreciated about The Dark Knight was the fact that The Joker's background was never divulged or explained in any detail. For me, this made him all the more sinister as a psychotic thug and brilliant master criminal who had lived in Gotham quite peacefully until appearing out of nowhere and descending the city into chaos.


Crackdown on Crime!

The brilliant characters are what drive this film forward. The spotlight was always going to be on the late Heath Ledger in what would be his swan song role as Batman's most notorious arch enemy, and he does not disappoint one bit. His walk, talk, facial expressions, ticks and debonair attitude all portray a man who is every inch the psychotic genius. Generally heartless and without mercy, one thing that impressed me was just how dark and sinister they made The Joker out to be while maintaining a relatively low age certificate for the film. He is brilliant as Batman's enemy. Whereas Jack Nicholson portrayed a Joker whose camp humour and scripted one-liners offered viewers hope and a sense of civility buried under the madness, Ledger's Joker offers no such comfort. Unable to match Batman on the physical front, The Joker nevertheless remains one step ahead of him thanks to his superior intellect and devastating unpredictability. This performance is one that will be rightfully lauded for a long time.

After an intense crackdown on organised crime by Batman, James Gordon and newly appointed DA Harvey Dent, the mob looks to the unknown and entrust The Joker to level the playing field. His criminal excellence soon turns Gotham into a panic stricken city of chaos in his attempts to bring the establishment crumbling down around him. Without the motivation of personal wealth or monetary gain driving him, The Joker's sole aim is to see society collapse. In the process, Batman is turned from a figure of hope who inspires copycat vigilantes and fearless citizens, to an icon of double-standards and corruption. After all, he often breaks the law to apprehend his criminals, so who polices him? The knee-jerk response of the public is to call for his head and you soon realise just how terrified the citizens of Gotham are, it's a recurring theme and one that is conveyed quite potently right through to the end of the film.

Christian Bale improves as both Batman and his ignorant playboy alter-ego this time around and Maggie Gylenhaal is a welcome replacement to the wooden and utterly boring Katie Holmes as Bruce's love interest. Aside from Heath Ledger though, it is Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart who deliver electrifying performances that are integral to making the film so entertaining to watch. The former, portraying James Gordon, a man that is so obviously driven by an ambition to stamp out crime in Gotham that you think he may be on the borderline of going vigilante himself at times. The latter, Harvey Dent, is a man who shares the anti-crime stance and delivers himself with confidence and compassion for fellow citizens. Although never really caring for the character of Harvey Dent before this film, Eckhart's performance was incredibly stirring and I began to fully appreciate him as the loyal and steadfast political saviour of Gotham - which made his transcendence into Two Face even more difficult and heart-breaking to watch.

Aside from the spirited characters and the gripping storyline, the film is helped by the wonderful location of Gotham, a city that is extremely tenebrific, sullen and constantly see-sawing between salvation and pandemonium. The car chase through Gotham's rotten underbelly in the middle of the film was one of the most intense and enjoyable moments of the film for me, seeing The Joker essentially reclaim the night for the mob by turning the city into a deadly battleground was extremely profound, with the outcome of the battle being as unpredictable as The Joker himself.

The Dark Knight was a cinematic experience that will not be equalled for me in a long time. I'm sure they'll make a third Batman film, though whether they'll ever be able to recreate such an epic and sinister showdown is something I highly doubt. The film is both solid enough to never make you resort to the 'well, it is a comic book adaptation...' line (to describe over the top plots or stunts) and freakishly disturbing in a way that only a graphic novel adaptation can be. It might almost be too uncomfortable to watch if you didn't know beforehand that the schemes and characters came from a cartoon world of fiction and flamboyance. Pervaded by a moody and almost comically overbearing score and littered with dark humour throughout, The Dark Knight delivered on every level and more than lived up to the hype. You owe it to yourself to see the film, it's going to be huge!



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The last stop's the cemetery.

Posted : 1 year, 4 months ago on 19 July 2008 02:28 (A review of Double Indemnity)

I had been waiting to watch this film for a very long time thanks to the reputation I'd read about it being one of the greatest 'noir' films of all time. I must say I wasn't disappointed after finally settling down to see it in all of it's 100 minutes of black and white glory.

The story begins with a suspicious figure driving erratically through the streets in the early hours. It turns out this man is Walter Neff, and he's on his way back to his insurance office to confess a story to his long time friend and colleague via Dictaphone. The story then presents us with the flashback sequence of events which led to his current scenario.

The character of Walter Neff is simply brilliant. He's pretty much everything I aspire to be in a man. A smooth talking charmer, the epitome of cool, an intelligent conversationalist loaded with witty remarks. These characteristics ensure that Neff excels at his job as an insurance salesman and it is during a routine house call to a policy holder he meets the alluring Mrs Dietrichson. There is an instant attraction and Neff lays his charm on thick, despite the fact that she is the wife of the man he is here to insure. It soon becomes clear that Mrs Dietrichson is an unhappy housewife, and she attempts to trick Neff into allowing her to insure her husband's life without him knowing. As a seasoned salesman, he instantly recognises such a scheme as a prelude to murder and he exits the house after reprimanding her for her wretched intent.

But he is still smitten. An innocent man, he is doomed to help the damsel in distress and for all his cool and sophisticated demeanour, he is ultimately weak willed and easily led astray. Barbara Stanwyck, as a classic Femme Fatale character, uses this to her advantage, tracking him down to his own apartment and laying on one last desperate plea for his help, a plea he is helpless to refuse. The film follows the pair as they attempt to hatch a scheme that could be brilliant enough not only to fool the authorities, but also Neff's colleague, Barton Keyes, a renowned claims adjuster who has shot down countless fraudulent claims in his career. Keyes is another instrumental figure in the film and is almost father-like to Neff, his character is steadfast and brilliantly portrayed. As Neff continues to dictate the story into his dictaphone, he does so in a manner that is wholly respectful to the brilliance of his superior. I found their relationship to be the most interesting in the film.

The classic noir elements come at you thick and fast. Aside from the innocent man cajoled into wrong doing by a ravishing female, you have the fact that almost all of the scenes occur either during the night and any scene during the day occurs predominantly inside while utilising heavy use of Venetian blinds and closed curtains. As the plot unfolds the use of close-ups and scenes where the characters are enclosed in tight spaces build an air of claustrophobia and enhance the suspense.

As their dastardly deed is slowly unravelled, Neff must juggle the guilt of his actions with apparent indifference to the case as his best laid plans are eventually unravelled. There are further twists and turns as the true intentions of Mrs Dietrichson are unveiled and the film eventually culminates in a final showdown between Neff and Keyes, with the latter looking genuinely devastated by Neff's actions.

I was entertained throughout and the characters of Neff and Keyes are definite strong points in the film. Barbara Stanwyck's character was less interesting and she wasn't helped by a dreadful costume/wig ensemble. A criticism of the film could be just how rapidly the relationship between Neff and Dietrichson deteriorated as I had to watch the preceding scene again to come to terms with what had happened. Other than that, I felt the final scene was definitely the most poignant and I had a sincere sympathy for Keyes - a man whose trust had been brutally betrayed by a man he regarded as a son.

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Ganbare! Tokyo!

Posted : 1 year, 4 months ago on 19 July 2008 12:59 (A review of Rollerball)

As part of my ongoing quest to plough through as many films on THIS LIST as possible, I stumbled most recently across Rollerball, which just edged onto the list as position #47.

Released in 1975, Rollerball follows a veteran and highly skilled player of the game as he heads towards the pinnacle of his career. The game itself is packed with violence and brutality, much to the delight of the millions of worldwide fans who flock to the matches. The captain in question, Johnathan E (James Caan), is perhaps the greatest Rollerballer who ever lived. Plying his trade with the Houston team, the film begins after they win a match against Madrid, setting them up for a place in the semi-final of an esteemed cup.

The dystopian element comes from the fact that these teams are not owned by managers or chairmen, but by multi-national energy corporations. The sport itself is a violent and combative team sport which seeks to emphasise the futility of the individual and promote team play, a mantra that is clearly designed to extend to the world in a wider sense. Jonathan's reputation however becomes so prolific that he begins to become a clear threat to this 'ineffective individual' mentality. He is threatened after the opening match to retire immediately by the chairman of the Energy Corporation in charge of the Houston team. He is offered a beneficial retirement package, but refuses the chairman's orders, deciding instead to play on for the benefit of the team.

After realising that their efforts have failed, the Energy corp. decides to force him out in other ways, and the rules are changed as the team progresses through the cup to make the sport drastically more violent. Resulting in great personal loss for Jonathan as he continues to play on.

It is a competent performance from James Caan, who portrays a charismatic and modest protagonist. There is nothing much else memorable about the film other than the Rollerball matches themselves, of which the action is realistic and well choreographed. The sport itself also benefits from being quite entertaining to watch. It's an enjoyable film, nothing ground-breaking or mind blowing, it fits into the same sort of niche as The Running Man and Futuresport.

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I'm a little busy here!

Posted : 1 year, 4 months ago on 10 July 2008 02:24 (A review of Company of Heroes)

Company of Heroes is a World War II real-time strategy game developed by Relic Entertainment for Microsoft. There are two main gameplay modes to choose from as the player can either choose to follow the 'campaign mode' - following scripted and sequential battles roughly corresponding to the historical course of World War II, or 'multiplayer mode' - where skirmishes against the AI or online battles against friends and total strangers are options.

There are several aspects of the game which put it streets ahead of both other World War II based games and the RTS genre in general. The graphics are a major strong point, with extremely detailed troops and armoured units which you can zoom in and out from at leisure with the help of your mouse wheel. The terrain in CoH is also extremely detailed and utilising the cover opportunities that old stone walls and abandoned tractors can give you is essential for success. The level of detail and realism isn't just thrown in to look nice, the environment is dynamic and all the while your troops can find cover in newly created craters from artillery strikes, or behind the ruins of a recently destroyed tank. This means your tactics also change to suit the terrain. The dependence on cover in the game enhances the realism no end as you find yourself trying to outflank garrisoned buildings and artillery guns instead of assaulting them head on as you would in other RTS games. The audio soundbytes of each unit are also worthy of mention. The troops say some legendary things, and can often let you know what problems they are facing when under attack (even if you are not looking at them on the map).

The resource system is maintained, but has one benefit in that all resources are infinite. It's up to you and your army to go out and secure strategic points on the map which generate one of three main expendables: fuel, manpower and ammunition. This feature forces players to think aggressively and seek to expand their territory rather than turtling up units in their base. Another benefit of this game is the population cap you have on your army, preventing massed units of tanks that steamroll everything in their path. You are forced to build a well rounded army and look after every one of your troops. The population cap expands gradually as more resource points are ascertained, though it never reaches a massive amount, leaving room for strategy over cataclysmic assaults.

The campaign mode follows the American army as it invades Normandy and beyond. Interspliced between and during missions are short cut scenes which introduce us to protagonists of the story. These scenes are often filled with some generic war time clichés, but they never detract from the fun and are, more often than not, ultra violent. By the time you complete the campaign mode, you may feel just about ready enough to take on the online multiplayer world. Although there are only two armies at your command, each has a very unique set of units, upgrades and unit type, which takes time to master.

The only negative aspect of my playing experience came from the ridiculous Relic-online registry system, whereby I had to download approximately 2GB worth of patches before I could even start the normal game campaign. The anti-piracy software is extremely over the top and even makes me thankful that Steam (which this game is now available on) isn't as infuriating as this. Other than that, I instantly fell in love with the game, which can provide moments of extreme hilarity and heroism. Having fun with a dozen Sherman Calliopes or spawning in twenty or so V2 rocket hits ends in unrivalled carnage.

But don't cheat until you've completed it!

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The Matrix re-viewed

Posted : 1 year, 5 months ago on 14 June 2008 08:55 (A review of The Matrix)

Such was the popularity of The Matrix that is broke through the sci-fi niche audience and sprawled into the mainstream. It now pervades popular culture on a momentous scale, regardless of the relatively disappointing sequels and questionable games that tarnish the franchise.

It is, perhaps, one of the most visually impressive movies ever made. The Matrix was a cinematic benchmark upon its release, not only for science fiction films, but for all action-orientated movies. I don't think I've ever been as literally impressed with new film-making techniques as I was when I watched my VHS copy of this amazing film. I can't believe I missed this at the cinema, that would have been a truly mind-blowing experience. Dripping with cool in the form of dramatic costumes, revolutionary special-effects and an adrenaline-thumping soundtrack, The Matrix achieved cinematic eminence.

Keanu Reeves portrays Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer who leads a secret life of a hacker under the alias 'Neo'. He is consumed by an urge to uncover the answer to the question: "What is the Matrix?". His perseverance leads him to a mysterious group of rebels, led by Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne), but not before a terrifying encounter with nefarious 'agents' decked in black suits and the arcane ability to alter Neo's reality. After agreeing to join Morpheus in order to discover the answer to his question, he is shown the shocking truth about the reality perceived by human beings. The Matrix is in fact a computer simulation of life that is broadcast for a human population of the future whose bodies have been harnessed for energy by a rampant self-aware army of machines. During his initiation, Neo is 'unplugged' from The Matrix and becomes aware of the shocking conditions that survivors of humanity actually thrive in deep underground, toward the centre of the Earth, living in constant fear of the machine overlords who span the Earth's surface.



Unplugged individuals are able to jack into the computer-simulated matrix, and their deeper understandings of the programme allow them to bend reality. It is here that the films special effects run riot as Neo learns countless abilities which range from jumping across impossible distances to learning scores of Martial arts disciplines in a matter of seconds. The Matrix is not without dangers however as the 'unplugged' are relentlessly pursued by sentient constructs - the agents - who seek to destroy all those who resist machine supremacy. A rivalry between Neo and a ruthless Agent escalates throughout this film, only to be resolved in a latter movie. The intense hatred between both characters borders on the brutal, and although I prefer viewing this film as a single entity, an idea of the sequels does put into great perspective, just how deadly Neo's foe actually is. Neo's adaptation to life in The Matrix culminates in unbelievable martial arts duels and superb gun fights as his abilities and confidence prosper, eventually leading to the acceptance that Neo is 'The One' - a much prophesied saviour of humanity.

The roles are cast with relatively unknown actors, but the performances are not the strong point of the film anyway. Notoriously wooden Reeves is adept at playing a perpetually confused and dumbfounded programmer who relies heavily on physical, rather than emotional displays of acting ability. He manages to convey a character who eventually gets our sympathies, and come the end of the film we are rooting for him as one of humanities last hopes. In a story filled with treachery, deceit and an extremely ponderous subject matter, our cerebellum is well and truly worked over by the philosophical nature of the plot and the raw, intense action sequences.

Ignore the two sequels and countless spoofs that this film generated, both of which are either either utterly subpar or chronically unfunny. This film is definitely a self-contained masterpiece that requires no further explanation or extrapolation. Perhaps one of the reasons the sequels were so disappointing was due to the fact that they were nowhere near as visually appealing or ground-breaking. I almost feel sorry for anybody new to the franchise, as their opinions may be tarnished by the universe of animation, comics, sequels and short stories that were generated by the success of The Matrix.




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