The Matrix was a rousing kick up the backside to the action genre, which had gotten pretty stale by 1999. Leading the film was the irreplaceable - except in the case of Speed 2 - Keanu Reeves, as a hacker who discovers the world is really a giant computer simulation. For the role Keanu underwent extensive training in stunts and martial arts, and all that effort shows up on screen. So when the fights go down hes a very effective digital Jesus. As a computer geek, however, not so much. People like to take shots at Keanu as an actor, but when hes well cast its hard to picture anyone else in that role. He isn't an actor with a huge amount of range either. As a result, the early scenes showing Keanu as a meek, soft spoken loner dont quite gel. One reason could be that hes Keanu Reeves, and thus inherently cool. And another is that even though Neo supposedly sits at a computer all day and night, hes in pretty buff shape. Must be all that Red Bull and Pizza. When Neo makes his switch to buttkicker in the final act, it feels a lot more natural.
