“Your men are already dead.”
For my second round pick, I select the opening scene from The Matrix: “Trinity vs the Agents”
A groundbreaking fight scene in a groundbreaking movie. This is the scene that told the audience they were in for something they’d never seen before. The choreography is stunning and innovative and singularly primes you for the later bullet-time scene that inspired copycats for decades to come.
Just look at this kick!!!
The directors had long been admirers of Hong Kong action cinema, so they decided to hire the Chinese martial arts choreographer and film director Yuen Woo-ping to work on fight scenes. To prepare for the wire fu, the actors had to train hard for several months.
Yuen let their body style develop and then worked with each actor’s strength. He built on Reeves’s diligence, Fishburne’s resilience, Weaving’s precision, and Moss’s feminine grace. Yuen designed Moss’s moves to suit her deftness and lightness.