At some point or another more than a few of us have felt like we're living in the Matrix. It's a large part of why the film holds so much appeal for millions of people - whether it's feeling disconnected from the world or just that all is not what it seems, The Matrix's questioning of the world around us is something we sympathize with. That said, few of us would ever actually suggest that we are literally living in the Matrix, with machine overlords feeding off the energy of our bodies. But if you committed a crime and told the court that this is what you think, you might just get away with it. As absurd as it sounds, The Matrix Defense - in which the defendant states their belief that reality is nothing more than a computer simulation - is a form of insanity plea which has been successfully used to send people to a mental health facility instead of a prison. It isn't the first time a movie has been used in such a way - John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to kill President Reagan, claimed Taxi Driver was the cause of his madness.
