68-471: McTeigue is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: James McTeigue (born 1967), Australian film and television director Felix McTeigue , American musician, son of Maggie Roche of The Roches See also [ edit ] McTeague (disambiguation) McTigue [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with the surname McTeigue . If an internal link intending to refer to
136-403: A hive mind , and are experimenting with humans to analyze individuality, in hopes of making a discovery that will help their race to survive. Murdoch, as Schreber reveals, is an anomaly who inadvertently awoke before Schreber could implant his latest identity as a murderer. Murdoch and Bumstead take Schreber and attempt to reach Shell Beach but instead end up at a poster for the town on a wall at
204-450: A 75% approval rating based on 85 reviews, with an average score of 6.8/10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Stylishly gloomy, Dark City offers a polarizing whirl of arresting visuals and noirish action". On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on reviews from 23 critics. No movie can ever have too much atmosphere, and Dark City exudes it from every frame of celluloid. Proyas' world isn't just
272-405: A Dolby Digital / AC3 5.1 soundtrack. The film was also released on VHS on March 2, 1999. A director's cut of Dark City was officially released on DVD and Blu-ray disc on 29 July 2008. The director's cut removes the opening narration, which Proyas felt explained too much of the plot, and includes approximately eleven minutes of additional footage, most of which extend scenes already present in
340-435: A German judge with narcissistic, paranoid psychosis , and possibly schizophrenia , whose autobiographical Memoirs of My Nervous Illness ( Denkwürdigkeiten eines Nervenkranken ) (1903) inspired some elements of the film's plot. Hurt was originally asked to play Dr Schreber. Proyas said that Ben Kingsley was one of the original choices to portray Dr Schreber. When Sutherland received the script he didn't understand why it
408-449: A higher agenda. Proyas said "I do like Greek mythology and have read a little of it, so maybe some of it has crept into the work, though I don't completely agree with that point of view". The film's style is often compared to that of the works of Terry Gilliam (especially Brazil ). Some stylistic similarities have also been noted to Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro 's 1995 film The City of Lost Children , another film that
476-442: A magical moment it becomes something more than just a clock". The production designer created the city architecture to have an organic presence alongside the structural elements. The Strangers' lair is a large underground amphitheater, in which a sculpture of a human face hides a large clock and a spiralling device changes the layout of the city above. The set for the lair was fifty ft (15 m) in height, while an average set
544-423: A movie that is simply sensational to look at." He felt the film's "twisting of reality and its daring look—layered and off-kilter grays, greens and blacks—make it click." In a mixed review, Walter Addiego of The San Francisco Examiner thought that "as a story, Dark City doesn't amount to much", its "complicated plot" containing important themes that were "no more than window dressing", but that "what counts here
612-441: A much wider audience than his previous affairs. He also acted again as second assistant director in a small Australian television film. McTeigue broke into mainstream Hollywood in 1994 as the second assistant director for No Escape and the big budget film Street Fighter . In 1996, McTeigue again acted as second assistant director on an American television film and a small Australian film being completed that year. In 1997, he
680-452: A phone call from Dr. Daniel Schreber, who urges him to flee the hotel to evade a group of men who are after him. In the room, Murdoch discovers the corpse of a ritualistically murdered woman and a bloody knife. He flees the scene, just as a group of pale men in trenchcoats ("the Strangers") arrive. Police Inspector Frank Bumstead, who is investigating murdered prostitutes, identifies Murdoch as
748-450: A playground for his characters to romp in—it's an ominous place where viewers can get lost. We don't just coolly observe the bizarre, ever-changing skyline; we plunge into the city's benighted depths, following the protagonist as he explores the secrets of this grim place where the sun never shines. Dark City has as stunning a visual texture as that of any movie that I've seen. — James Berardinelli , writing for ReelViews Writing in
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#1732879836967816-475: A portion of the architecture looks like New York, but the bottom of the architecture looks again like a European city. You're there, but you don't know where you are. It's like every time you travel, you'll be lost. The production design included themes of darkness, spirals and clocks. There appears to be no sun in the city's world and spiral designs that shrink when approached were used. The Strangers' large clock does not have any numbers and Tatopoulos said "But in
884-399: A psychokinetic fight high above the city. After learning from Schreber that Emma has been re-imprinted and cannot be restored, Murdoch employs his powers, amplified by the Strangers' machines, to create a Shell Beach within the habitat. On his way home, Murdoch encounters a dying Mr. Hand and informs him that the Strangers searched in the wrong place—the mind—to understand humanity. He rotates
952-447: A retelling of Plato 's Allegory of the Cave . For Loughlin, the city dwellers are prisoners who do not realize they are in a prison. John Murdoch's escape from the prison parallels the escape from the cave in the allegory. He is assisted by Dr. Schreber, who explains the city's mechanism as Socrates explains to Glaucon how the shadows in the cave are cast. Murdoch becomes more than Glaucon, "He
1020-425: A section of corridor that we kept driving through all the time and you end up believing this thing is running along forever". Proyas wanted the rail car to pass various rooms, which was not feasible given the budget, so Tatopoulos and the crew used "replaceable elements and strong design textures" to give the impression it was passing different rooms. The Strangers are energy beings who reside in dead human bodies. At
1088-465: A specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McTeigue&oldid=1137678740 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata All set index articles James McTeigue James McTeigue (born 29 December 1967)
1156-410: A story about a 1940s detective who is obsessed with facts and cannot solve a case where the facts do not make sense saying, "He slowly starts to go insane through the story. He can't put the facts together because they don't add up to anything rational". In the process of creating the fictional world for the character of the detective, Proyas created other characters and shifted the focus of the film from
1224-440: A suspect. Following clues, Murdoch learns his name and finds out he has a wife named Emma. When the Strangers corner him, Murdoch instinctively alters reality (an ability the Strangers share and refer to as tuning ) to create an escape path for himself. Murdoch wanders the streets of the city where it is perpetually nighttime but no one seems to notice. When the clock strikes twelve, Murdoch witnesses everyone else fall asleep and
1292-566: A technical achievement, it is superb, and that technique is put in the service of telling a story that would be difficult to realize any other way." Its opening weekend in theaters, Dark City grossed $ 5,576,953, enough to place fourth at the box office; Titanic , which had been released ten weeks earlier, grossed $ 19,633,056 and was still number one. The following weekend, it earned $ 2,837,941 (a decrease of 49.1%) and dropped to ninth place, while Titanic remained in first with grosses totaling $ 17,605,849. During its four-week theatrical run,
1360-434: A tour de force." and noted that " Dark City opens by immersing the audience in the midst of a fractured, nightmarish narrative." Berardinelli also said " Dark City appears to be New York during the first half of this century, but, using a style that is part science fiction, part noir thriller, and part gothic horror, [Proyas] has embellished it to create a surreal place unlike no other." Describing some pitfalls, Jeff Vice of
1428-420: A year later, and the film is now widely considered a sci-fi cult classic . Concerned that audiences would not understand the film, New Line asked Proyas to add an explanatory voice-over to the introduction, and he complied. When a director's cut of the film was released in 2008, among the changes was the removal of the opening narration. John Murdoch awakens in a hotel bathtub with amnesia. He receives
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#17328798369671496-407: Is a 1998 tech noir film directed by Alex Proyas , and starring Rufus Sewell , William Hurt , Kiefer Sutherland , Jennifer Connelly , Richard O'Brien , and Ian Richardson . The screenplay was written by Proyas, Lem Dobbs , and David S. Goyer . In the film, Sewell plays an amnesiac man who, finding himself suspected of murder, attempts to discover his true identity and clear his name while on
1564-415: Is a Glaucon who comes to realize that Socrates' tale of an upper, more real world, is itself a shadow, a forgery". Murdoch defeats the Strangers, who control the inhabitants, and remakes the world based on childhood memories, illusions arranged by the Strangers. He casts new shadows for the city inhabitants, who must trust his judgment. Unlike Plato, Murdoch "is disabused of any hope of an outside" and becomes
1632-715: Is an Australian film and television director. He has been an assistant director on many films, including Dark City (1998), the Matrix trilogy (1999–2003) and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and made his directorial debut with the 2005 film V for Vendetta to critical acclaim. Since Vendetta he has collaborated with the Wachowskis an additional four times as director on The Invasion (albeit uncredited), Ninja Assassin and Sense8 , and as producer of The Matrix Resurrections . He first became involved in
1700-453: Is the show, the creation of a strange world by a filmmaker who clearly knows science fiction and fantasy, past and present, and wants to share his love for it." Unimpressed by the film, Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle wrote: "You really have to feel for Alex Proyas. This guy wears bad luck like the grimy trenchcoats of his protagonists, only his zipper's stuck and he can't seem to shake
1768-466: Is thirty-six ft (11 m), and was built on a fairground in Sydney, Australia. The film's budget was $ 30–40 million, so the crew used inexpensive techniques to build the set, such as stretching canvas onto welded metal frames. The lair also had a rail conveyance that appeared expensive. Tatopoulos said "We had, obviously, a car built, but we had just one built. We laid some rail for it to ride on. We made
1836-531: The Chicago Sun-Times , Roger Ebert called the film a "great visionary achievement", while also exclaiming that it was "a film so original and exciting, it stirred my imagination like Metropolis and 2001: A Space Odyssey ." In the San Francisco Chronicle , Peter Stack wrote that the film was "among the most memorable cinematic ventures in recent years", and "maybe there's nothing wrong with
1904-452: The Deseret News said that "when critics talk about films being 'style over substance', they're definitely talking about movies like Dark City , which looks good but leaves an unpleasant aftertaste." He was quick to admit that "The special effects and set designs are dazzling", but ultimately felt "Proyas makes a crucial error in treating the subject even more seriously than The Crow , and
1972-557: The demiurge for the cave, the only environment he knows. Of the lack of background provided in the film, Loughlin said "The origin of the city is off-stage, unknown and unknowable". The city in Dark City was described by Sarah L. Higley as a "murky, nightmarish German expressionist film noir depiction of urban repression and mechanism". It has a World War II -era dreariness reminiscent of Edward Hopper 's works, as well as details from different eras and architectures that are changed by
2040-454: The Bunnymen that played over the final credits, as well as songs by Gary Numan and Course of Empire that did not appear in the film. The music for the film was edited by Simon Leadley and Jim Harrison. New Line Cinema wanted the filmmakers to consider retitling the film Dark World or Dark Empire to help differentiate it from the recently released Mad City , but Dark City was kept as
2108-537: The Murdoch character was "surprisingly engrossing" and thought the "art direction is always striking, and unlike most contemporary sci-fi, the movie does risk a cerebral approach, tapping a vein of postmodern paranoia." Richard Corliss of Time said the film was "as cool and distant as the planet the Strangers come from. But, Lord, is Dark City a wonder to see." James Berardinelli writing for ReelViews , remarked that "Visually, this film isn't just impressive, it's
McTeigue - Misplaced Pages Continue
2176-431: The Strangers "buildings collapse as others emerge and battle with one another at the end". The round window of Murdoch's hotel room is concave, like a fishbowl and is a frequently seen element throughout the city. The inhabitants do not live at the top of the city; the main characters' homes are dwarfed by the bricolage of buildings. The film contains motifs from Greek mythology , in which gods manipulate humans to serve
2244-404: The Strangers use tuning to physically rearrange the city's architecture. Afterwards, assisted by Schreber, the Strangers change the inhabitants' memories using an injection containing the new memories. Murdoch learns that he came from a coastal town called Shell Beach, which everyone knows, though no one remembers how to get there and Murdoch's attempts to visit fail. The Strangers inject a copy of
2312-501: The Wachowskis being uncredited. In 2008, he did second unit directing work on the Wachowskis' Speed Racer . McTeigue directed Ninja Assassin , produced by the Wachowskis, which was released in 2009. The same year he was said to be directing a reboot of the Superman film series, a rumour that he neither confirmed nor denied, but Warner Bros. ultimately gave the job of rebooting Superman to Zack Snyder . In 2012, he directed
2380-436: The beginning of the design process, the film makers considered having the Strangers be bugs but they decided the bug appearance was overused. Tatopoulos said one day Proyas "called me and said he wanted something like an energy that kept re-powering itself, re-creating itself, re-shaping itself, sitting inside a dry piece of human shape". About the character of Mr Hand, Proyas said: "I had Richard in mind physically when I wrote
2448-469: The character, because I had these strange, bald-looking men with an ethereal, androgynous quality", and O'Brien had famously played a similar character (Riff Raff) in The Rocky Horror Show . When Proyas visited London to cast the film, he met with O'Brien and found him suitable for the role. Daniel P. Schreber, the character portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland , was named after Daniel Paul Schreber ,
2516-419: The city and force Schreber to imprint Murdoch with their collective memory , believing Murdoch to be the culmination of their experiments. Against their order, Schreber instead injects Murdoch with memories of decades of training about the Strangers, their machines and tuning . Murdoch awakens with his powers fully realized. He frees himself and battles the Strangers, eventually defeating their leader Mr. Book in
2584-466: The damn thing off." He felt " Dark City looks like a million bucks (or rather, a million bucks gone to compost), but at its dark heart it's a tedious, bewildering affair, lovely to look at but with all the substance of a dissipating dream." Left equally disappointed was John Anderson of the Los Angeles Times , who said of the directing that "If you had to guess, you might say that Proyas came out of
2652-417: The detective (Bumstead) to the person pursued by the detective (Murdoch). Proyas envisioned a robust narrative where the audience could examine the film from the perspective of several characters and focus on the plot. After writing the first draft of the screenplay by himself, Proyas worked with Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer to create the final script. Goyer had written The Crow: City of Angels (1996),
2720-528: The dialogue (co-written by Proyas and The Crow: City of Angels scriptwriter David S. Goyer) is unintentionally funny at times and often just plain dumb." What they have done is taken a few second-hand ideas from noir and speculative fiction and mixed them in occasionally striking ways, even if, in the end, the result isn't all that much fun. — Todd McCarthy , writing in Variety Andrea Basora of Newsweek , stated that director Proyas flooded
2788-423: The edge of the city. Frustrated, Murdoch and Bumstead break through the wall, revealing outer space, just before some of the Strangers, including Mr. Hand, arrive with Emma as a hostage. In the ensuing fight, Bumstead and one of the Strangers fall through the hole and drift out into space, and the city is shown to be a deep space habitat surrounded by a force field . The Strangers bring Murdoch to their home beneath
McTeigue - Misplaced Pages Continue
2856-413: The fantasy framework." He compared Dark City to Proyas's preceding film, The Crow , in style, but found Dark City to introduce new themes and to be a "more thoroughly consistent" film. Biodrowski concluded that " Dark City may not provide profound answers, but it deals seriously with a profound idea, and does it in a way that is cathartic and even uplifting, without being contrived or condescending. As
2924-470: The film earned $ 14,378,331 domestically. Internationally, it took in an additional $ 12,821,985, for a combined worldwide box office total of $ 27,200,316. The film's cumulative gross was the 105th-highest of 1998. The film won and was nominated for several awards in 1998. Film critic Roger Ebert cited it as the best film of 1998, and in 2005 he included it on his "Great Movies" list. Ebert used it in his teaching, and also recorded an audio commentary for
2992-490: The film industry in the late 1980s, acting as production runner or production assistant in a number of small Australian films. In 1991, his role became assistant director , being the third assistant director in another Australian film, The Girl Who Came Late . In 1994, he was the second assistant director in Country Life , a film adaptation based on Michael Blakemore's National Theatre production of Uncle Vanya , which had
3060-475: The film, appreciating its art direction, set design, cinematography, special effects, and imagination, and even recorded an audio commentary for the film's home video release. The film was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and six Saturn Awards . Some critics later noted Dark City ' s similarities to and influence on the Matrix film series , whose first installment came out
3128-430: The first assistant director for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones , which was released in 2002. Following this, he was also the first assistant director for both Matrix sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions . In 2005, McTeigue made his directorial debut with V for Vendetta , written and produced by the Wachowskis. After spending so much time on The Matrix film series, they gave
3196-424: The first assistant director, a friend of McTeigue who told him about the project, had to drop out and The Wachowskis made McTeigue first assistant director. The film was released in 1999 and became a huge success. The following year he acted as first assistant director on the popular Australian film Looking for Alibrandi , as well as The Monkey's Mask . In 2000, McTeigue worked with George Lucas and became
3264-422: The habitat toward the star it had been turned away from and the city experiences sunlight for the first time. Opening a door leading out of the city, Murdoch steps out to view the sunrise. On the pier in front of him is the woman he knew as Emma, who now has new memories and a new identity as Anna. Murdoch reintroduces himself and they walk to Shell Beach, beginning their relationship anew. Anita Kelsey provided
3332-402: The memories given to Murdoch into one of their men, Mr. Hand, hoping it will help them predict Murdoch's movements and track him down. Inspector Bumstead catches Murdoch, though he acknowledges that Murdoch is most likely innocent, as he has misgivings about the city's nature. They confront Schreber, who explains the Strangers' nature. They are extraterrestrials residing in human corpses, share
3400-435: The most unique-looking film we've seen in ages", but said that it "defies logic and makes frightening and unexpected leaps." Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote that the "plot that Dark City builds on John's predicament is a confused affair" and that the film's premise is "unsettling enough to make you wonder if it could actually derail a seriously drug-addled mind." Steve Biodrowski of Cinefantastique found
3468-523: The opportunity to McTeigue to direct, first showing him a copy of the Vendetta graphic novel during post-production of The Matrix Revolutions . Warner Bros. expressed dissatisfaction with the way Oliver Hirschbiegel 's The Invasion shaped up and brought in McTeigue for an additional 17 days of filming based on rewrites by the Wachowskis. The film was released in 2007, with the involvement of McTeigue and
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#17328798369673536-457: The original DVD and the 2006 Director's Cut. The film was screened out of competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival . One of the things that we're exploring in this film, is what it is that makes us who we are. And, when you strip an individual of his identity, is there some spark, some essence there that keeps them being human, gives them some sort of identity? Alex Proyas The theologian Gerard Loughlin interpreted Dark City as
3604-405: The production design and the cinematography overwhelming, but he considered the narrative engagement of Sewell's amnesiac character to be ultimately successful, writing: "As the story progresses, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, and we gradually realize that the film is not a murky muddle of visuals propping up a weak story. All the questions lead to answers, and the answers make sense within
3672-501: The run from the police and a mysterious group known as the "Strangers". Primarily shot at Fox Studios Australia , the film was jointly produced by New Line Cinema and Proyas' production company Mystery Clock Cinema, and distributed by the former for theatrical release. It premiered in the United States on 27 February 1998 and received generally positive critiques, but it was a box-office bomb . Roger Ebert , in particular, supported
3740-604: The screen with "cinematic and literary references ranging from Murnau and Lang to Kafka and Orwell , creating a unique yet utterly convincing world". Similarly, David Sterritt wrote in The Christian Science Monitor that "The story is dark and often violent, but it's told with a remarkable sense of visual energy and imagination." Marshall Fine of USA Today found the film to be "Fascinating, visionary filmmaking", and said that "With its amber-tinged palette and its distinctively dystopian view of life, it may be
3808-474: The sequel to Proyas's 1994 film The Crow , and Proyas invited Goyer to co-write Dark City after reading Goyer's screenplay for Blade , which had yet to be released. The Writers Guild of America initially protested against the crediting of more than two screenwriters for a film but relented and credited all three writers. When Proyas finished his preceding film, The Crow , in 1994, he approached production designer Patrick Tatopoulos to draw concepts for
3876-452: The singing voice of Emma Murdoch. For Dark City , Proyas was influenced by film noir of the 1940s and the 1950s, such as The Maltese Falcon (1941). The film has been described as Kafkaesque , and Proyas cited the TV series The Twilight Zone as an influence. Proyas wanted the film, though nominally science fiction, to have an element of horror to unsettle the audience. Proyas conceived
3944-467: The theatrical release with additional establishing shots and dialogue. The DVD and Blu-ray feature expanded audio commentaries by Ebert, Proyas, and Dobbs and Goyer, along with several new documentaries. The Blu-ray also includes the original theatrical cut of the film and the special features from the 1998 DVD release. Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received generally positive reviews. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , it has
4012-409: The theatrical trailer. The film was released on laserdisc in the United States on 12 August 1998. Special features were an audio commentary track by writer/director Alex Proyas, screenwriters Lemm Dobbs & David Goyer, production designer Patrick Tatopoulos and director of photography Dariusz Wolski on the left analogue track and a Theatrical Trailer on chapter 19. The right analogue track contained
4080-573: The thriller The Raven , a fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet and author pursues a serial killer, whose murders mirror those in Poe's stories. He partnered again with the Wachowskis to direct the Mexico City, Mumbai and parts of the Reykjavik units on their Netflix science fiction drama Sense8 , which debuted in 2015. McTeigue also directed two episodes. Over
4148-677: The title. The film was originally scheduled to be released in theaters on 17 October 1997, then 9 January 1998, and finally 27 February 1998, when it debuted in 1,754 theaters in the United States. A Region 1 widescreen DVD of the film was released in the United States on 29 July 1998. Special features on the DVD included two audio commentary tracks (one with film critic Roger Ebert, and one with director Alex Proyas, writers Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer, and production designer Patrick Tatopoulos), cast and crew biographies and filmographies, comparisons to Fritz Lang's Metropolis , set design drawings, and
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#17328798369674216-457: The world in which Dark City takes place. The city was built on a set, and no practical locations were used in the film. Describing the city, Tatopoulos said, The movie takes place everywhere, and it takes place nowhere. It's a city built of pieces of cities. A corner from one place, another from some place else. So, you don't really know where you are. A piece will look like a street in London, but
4284-416: The world of comic art himself, rather than music videos and advertising. Dark City is constructed like panels in a Batman book, each picture striving for maximum dread", and that Proyas was "trying simultaneously to create a pure thriller and sci-fi nightmare along with his tongue-in-cheek critique of artifice. And this doesn't work out quite so well." Author TCh of Time Out felt that the development of
4352-466: The years, McTeigue has been linked as director of the films Osiris Release , Richard K. Morgan 's Altered Carbon , Message from The King , Bloodsport and Alien Sleeper Cell , but as of May 2016, none of them have moved forward. In 2021, McTeigue continued his ongoing creative collaboration with Lana Wachowski as one of the producers of The Matrix Resurrections . Film Short film TV series Dark City (1998) Dark City
4420-402: Was a major influence on the architecture, concepts about the baseness of humans within a metropolis, and the general tone of Dark City . In one of the documentary shorts included on the director's cut home video releases of the film, the influence of the early German films M and Nosferatu are also mentioned. One of the last scenes of the movie, in which buildings "restore" themselves,
4488-548: Was particularly inspired by Gilliam (Gilliam had presented Jeunet's and Caro's previous film Delicatessen (1991), which was a deliberate homage to Gilliam's style, in North America ). The Matrix , which was released one year after Dark City , was also filmed at Fox Studios in Sydney, and it even used some of Dark City ' s sets. Comparisons of the two films have made note of similarities in cinematography , atmosphere, and plot. Fritz Lang 's 1927 film Metropolis
4556-415: Was sent to him, thinking it was a mistake and that they wanted his father Donald . The film's soundtrack was released on 24 February 1998 by TVT Records . It features music from the original score by Trevor Jones , and versions of the songs " Sway " and " The Night Has a Thousand Eyes " performed by singer Anita Kelsey . It also includes music by Hughes Hall from the trailer a song by Echo &
4624-596: Was the second assistant director for the WWII film Paradise Road as well as The Well , that year he also worked as first assistant director for the television series Big Sky . The following year he was the second assistant director for the American science-fiction film Dark City as well as the Australian film The Sugar Factory . In 1999, McTeigue was intended to act as second assistant director for The Matrix film until
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