Whether you like The Matrix or not, you can’t deny two things: the impact it had on the film industry and the fact the trilogy served some ambitious action sequences that are referenced to this day. It doesn’t take much to realize directors Lilly and Lana Wachowski are not interested in simple visual storytelling. With The Matrix, the duo went out of their way to make the project as original as possible – and the effort paid off, because the action sequences across the three films are still impressive to watch almost two decades later, and we can only imagine what Lana Wachowski has in store for us with The Matrix Resurrections.
So put your sunglasses on and get your quick kung-fu course running, because we’re ranking the major actions sequences in The Matrix trilogy today.
7. Neo vs. Agent Smith in the Rain
Sure, the Matrix sequels went pretty hard on philosophy, but you can't argue the 2003 movies didn't also have the fight sequences going for them. The problem with this one, however, is anticipation. The Matrix Revolutions makes constant references to how this story led Neo (Keanu Reeves) to this moment, and the final fight between Neo and Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) is surrounded by expectations.
It’s very hard to live up to hype, as we soon discovered. When time comes for Neo and Smith to hash it out, we had already seen all that was possible with the duo throughout the previous movies. The only difference here was that Smith didn’t need a hundred copies of himself to be on equal footing. The sequence plays out like a live action Dragon Ball Z fight, meaning it’s cool at times but ultimately isn’t at all exciting: at that point, Neo is basically Superman, so you’re never really worried he’s going to lose. And, of course, he doesn’t.
Best moment: Neo’s bullet-time punch in Agent Smith’s face.
6. Morpheus Challenges Neo to a Kung Fu Fight
Compared to the other entries on this list, this action sequence seems quaint in how contained it is. At the same time, it’s one of the most important of the whole trilogy, since it uses Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) to teach us a lot about how the Matrix works and sets the bar for what we can expect from fight scenes from then on.
Also, this is the fight sequence that immortalized Morpheus’ (and later Neo’s) “come on, I can still take it” move, which still gives chills every time one watches it. There are also other great moments, such as Morpheus doing an impossible jump to hit Neo with his knee, and the thought-provoking questions he poses to Neo throughout the fight. Is that air you’re breathing?
Best moment: After Neo gives a spectacular jump, Morpheus’ kick sends him flying across the room. How cooler could he get?
5. Neo vs. Agent Smith In the Subway
What’s great about this action sequence is not only the many isolated moments it's composed of, but rather a plot point that was established throughout the whole first film. The very first piece of advice Morpheus gives Neo is that if he sees an Agent, he should run. And that’s mostly how the movie plays out, with Agents’ appearances meaning game over for whatever mission the rebels got going.
In the subway, however, Neo turns his back to Agent Smith and prepares to run, until he suddenly goes “you know what?”, and does a 180. The fight is cool, the stakes are high (Neo bet his own life on this fight, after all) and the payoff is great: the sequence comes to an end a few blocks away, with Neo breaking the Matrix rules for the very first time.
Best moment: After running a few blocks and up a building, Neo is safe. He’ll make it out of the Matrix after all. He opens the door of an apartment which has a ringing phone and…
4. Morpheus’ Rescue
We didn’t know it back in 1999, but this action sequence was History in the making. It all starts with Neo asking the operator for “guns. Lots of guns” and then it hits multiple high points. A gunfight at the hotel lobby with a slow-motion use that Zack Snyder tries to reproduce to this day, an Agent attack at the rooftop where Trinity (Carrie Anne Moss) dares him to “dodge this”, and a helicopter crashing into a building.
This is the action sequence in which Agents realized they got another thing coming, and illustrates perfectly the main trio’s ruthlessness when getting a job done. And, of course, it provided us with Bullet Time, one of the most famous scenes in the History of Cinema.
Best moment: Neo dodging bullets. Hands down.
3. Sentinel Invasion in Zion
The Wachowskis knew that, as this was the only major action sequence to happen outside the Matrix, it had to be great. Also, it’s The Matrix Revolutions’ climax (not the fight with Smith, please), so there was no option besides going big. And go big they did.
The trilogy did a good job of showing how a couple of Sentinels can be scary on their own. Not only because they’re unstoppable (except with EMPs) but because their design isn’t exactly what you’d expect from a machine, with fluid movements and several tentacles. So when we see thousands of those Sentinels breaching into the roof of Zion and wreaking havoc on rebels, we can’t help but root for the latter but at the same time think they stand no chance against such sophisticated machines.
This action sequence is great because it shows the resistance at every level: from common Zion citizens doing what they can to inexperienced rebels, all the way through high-ranking soldiers and commanders – and everyone is scared, so you can’t help but feel that way too.
Best moment: Captain Mifune (Nathaniel Lees) realizes he has to pay the ultimate price to help Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) enter Zion with a ship to release an EMP.
2. The Burly Brawl (Neo vs. Multiple Agent Smiths)
If there is one name you should remember along with the Wachowski sisters, it's Woo-Ping Yuen. This Chinese martial arts expert is the great mind behind some of the most impressive fighting choreography you’ve seen in movies, including Kill Bill, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and, of course, The Matrix trilogy.
Woo-Ping’s work had shined through many times before this fight, but this one illustrates how insanely creative he can get when given an equally insane stunt to prepare and coordinate. Neo vs. multiple Agent Smiths gets wilder by the second, to the point where you can’t believe your eyes – and also can’t help but wonder what a nightmare it must have been to film.
Plus, this fight is a whole lot better than Neo vs. Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions because here, even though we know Neo is a god in the Matrix, we see his desperation (through the sunglasses) as he starts to realize that not even a god can fight a hundred enemies at the same time. And he flees! Even though the movie plays it out like it was Agent Smith’s loss, a snarkier opponent would certainly bring up the fact that Neo chickened out on this one.
Best moment: Neo uses a metal rod to pivot himself as he kicks as many Smiths as he can (full CGI, but still fun).
1. Chase After the Keymaker
In a movie that dared to put Neo against a hundred enemies at once, it would be fine if the Wachowskis didn’t go any bigger, but they did it in every sense of the word. To make the freeway action sequence come to life, The Matrix Reloaded wrecked hundreds of cars, built a 1.4-mile three-lane highway, and went on a three-month shooting schedule. The result is a sequence that is every bit as exciting today as when we saw it for the first time in 2003.
This sequence has it all: kung fu fighting at Merovingian's (Lambert Wilson) with Neo stopping bullets, reckless driving, vehicles jumping off vehicles, die-hard Agents, swordfights, and crazy stunts that range from using seat belts to eighteen-wheelers crashing and exploding. And yes, you will give a cheer once again when Neo shows up at the last minute.
Best moment: Morpheus uses a samurai sword and a machine gun to put an end to the intangible twins.