The Wachowskis "The Matrix", a science fiction action film, in 1999. The movie stars Keanu Reeves as Neo, a hacker recruited by a rebellion to aid them in the fight against machines who have taken over the world and placed humanity inside a simulated reality called "the Matrix". Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano also star. The movie was a critical and commercial hit for Warner Bros. It won four Academy Awards, including for "Best Visual Effects" for popularizing the bullet time visual effect. "The Matrix" came to be a major influence for action movies and has appeared in
Keanu Reeves Syme-Reeves, who was stillborn. The strain put on their relationship by their grief resulted in their breakup several weeks later. On April 2, 2001, Syme was driving alone on Los Angeles' Cahuenga Boulevard when she sideswiped three parked cars, rolled over several times, and was thrown from the car. Authorities believed she died instantly. She was reportedly being treated for depression and taking two prescription drugs, which police found in her car. Reeves, who was scheduled to begin shooting back-to-back "Matrix" sequels during the subsequent spring, sought "peace and time" to deal with the incident, according to his friend Bret