In the wake of The Matrix's dogmatic, metaphysical riffing, the powers to be are itching to provide audiences with some means of sustenance, some high tech driven carriage filled with still-array sequences and helicopter stunts that will fortify and deliver us from these desolate times preceding our final salvation: The Matrix sequel. (Officially titled: The Matrix Reloaded.) Okay, granted, The Matrix itself had its share of problems, namely Keanu Reeves' goofiness, but the film has become the archetypal example of how to justify phenomenal action with explicit, logical foundations, putting it in a historical spot that largely precludes standard action movie criticism. Enter "Swordfish," Warner Brothers 'latest foray in the teched-out action film genre, directed by Dominic Sena (Gone in 60 Seconds).
The Matrix parallels are audaciously apparent. Computer hacker (X-men's Hugh Jackman) meets beautiful, stunningly self-sufficient girl (Halle Berry) who shows up to tell him that he must rendezvous with her mysterious boss (John Travolta), described by one character as a man who "lives in a world outside of our world." *Ah hem,* Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, 'nuff said. Add a familiar 360 degree camera trick and a Helicopter sequence to boot and the mimicry becomes caustic, corrosive, and hey, just bad form. But "Swordfish" only steals from "The Matrix" on a peripheral level; the film's storyline diverges into it's own cyber-espionage drama, filled with double-crossing and mistaken identities. Unfortunately, this course lacks the sort of philosophical underpinnings that gave "The Matrix" its weight as an action film.
"Swordfish," instead centers thematically on patriotism and misdirection, leading to an ending that plays out like the grand finale of "The Usual Suspects," minus the punch and complexity of "Suspects'" closing revelation. All this makes one wonder, 'Why has writing an original script become such an impossibility?' But for what it's worth, the film still presents an ample dosage of eye-candy. Halle Berry bares her breasts (in what is perhaps one of the least motivated bare breasted scenes in history) and is otherwise consistently scantily clad. Perhaps even better (and what could possibly be?) is the fever created by the first ten minutes of the film.
Jon Travolta opens with a speech about contemporary cinema that is impossibly cool (but that also unwisely inflates expectations), leading to a bank heist that goes wrong. The end of this opening scene features an eight hundred thousand dollar still-array sequence. Whereas those depicted in the Matrix were around characters frozen temporarily in action, this one is around an explosion that destroys a city block. Despite the technique's familiar resonances, the sequence is breathtaking, and a true advancement in the technical arts. Given dialogue that is often riddled with cliched lines, the actors fare well. Without the Wolverine blades and Mutton chops, Jackman has the opportunity to play a role colored by his own aesthetic, and he is genuinely appealing, with the exception of an extraneous 'hacking' scene, featuring Jackman virtually dancing around a computer console (to his own, later embarrassment, no doubt). Travolta's role is largely weakened by the faults of the script, but the actor does what he can, tinting his villainous character with his patented, ironically soothing vocal intonations. Halle Berry is gorgeous and undaunted by her often tiresome lines, pulling them off with a refreshing confidence.
Don Cheadle, who appears in the film as a cyber-crimes agent, is drastically underutilized. His pervasive wit is held back by the confining parameters of the script, but the character he portrays, though underdeveloped, still smacks of a certain hard-driven personality. While visually, "Swordfish" advances still-array effects' boundaries in its first ten minutes, the remainder of the movie falls under the narrative cast set by pioneering films of the recent past. But with featured actors working against a script comprised of both loudly and inconspicuously rehashed ideas, the film does gain merit. Not enough, unfortunately, to make it a story that is as original or compelling as those from which it appropriated its ideas. The Moral: It ain't always wise to reload prematurely.
