Story of the Scene: 'The Matrix Reloaded' (2003)
One of the most lavish car-chases ever was designed by the Wachowski brothers for their sequel to The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded.
The Wachowskis built, from scratch, and at a cost of $2.5m (£1.25m), a fake freeway on a disused naval base at Alameda in California. The mile-and-a-half road was fenced with a 19ft wall, made from timber and plywood, designed to look like concrete.
There are wraith-like dreadlocked entities wielding cut-throat razors and guns, robotic secret-service types spraying the speeding Cadillac with bullets as it weaves to avoid them, Carrie-Anne Moss delivering motorcycle acceleration way beyond human ability, cars rolling and cartwheeling, and good old Laurence Fishburne deploying some slick taekwondo moves and samurai-sword balletics on top of a speeding rig.
The sequence is especially beloved by Matrix nerds keen on the significance of various road- and truck-signs along the way, including logos referring to Gulliver's Travels, the oft-repeating numeral 101, and an exit signboard to Paterson Pass, allegedly a reference to production designer Owen Paterson.
General Motors donated more than a hundred cars for the scene, all of which were trashed. Intriguingly, many of the moments which look like CGI are not – when Agent Johnson spectacularly jumps onto the bonnet of a speeding car and crushes it, it is, in fact, a real-time stunt.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies