The Matrix Decoded

Chapter 25 - One Left Behind &
Chapter 26 - Cypher's Burnout

DVD Script
(fairly close, anyway)

Notes

(Bathroom fight)

AGENT SMITH: The great Morpheus. We meet at last.

MORPHEUS: And you are?

AGENT SMITH: Smith. I am Agent Smith.

MORPHEUS: You all look the same to me.

(Agent Smith is victorious)

AGENT SMITH: Take him.

TANK: No!

(Phone rings)

TANK: Operator.

CYPHER: (V.O.) I need an exit! Fast!

TANK: Cypher?

CYPHER: There was an accident. A goddamn car accident. All of a sudden. Boom. Yeshua, someone up there still likes me.

TANK: (V.O.) I got you.

CYPHER: Just get me outta here.

TANK: (V.O.) Nearest exit is Franklin and Erie. An old T.V. repair shop.

Cypher hangs up.

Another street reference to water - in this case, both are lakes.

Although cut for the movie, the script called for Cypher to comment, "Actor. Definitely." Referring to his discussion with Agent Smith, Cypher pats himself on the back for his deceit.

(The phone rings)

TRINITY: (V.O.) Tank, it's me.

NEO: Is Morpheus alive?

TRINITY: Is Morpheus still alive, Tank?

TANK: (V.O.) Yes. They're moving him. I don't know where yet.

TRINITY: He's alive.

TRINITY: We need an exit.

TANK: (V.O.) You're not far from Cypher.

TRINITY: Cypher?

TANK: (V.O.) Yeah. I sent him to Franklin and Erie.

TRINITY: Got it.

TANK: Got him.

(TV shop - phone rings)

SWITCH: God, I love that sound.

(On Neb)

CYPHER: Shit.

DOZER: No!

(TV Shop)

TRINITY: You first, Neo.

NEO: It's dead.

TRINITY: What happened?

NEO: I don't know. It just went dead.

The scene for their exit is quite appropriate. The TVs are 'dead,' their monitors are 'asleep' or 'dead'.

Televisions are used throughout the movie as a forshadowing of shocking news and revelations or death.

Here the news is that Cypher has turned traitor.

(On Neb - Phone rings)

CYPHER: (V.O.) Hello, Trinity.

TRINITY: Cypher? Where's Tank?

Cypher's clothing has a hole over his heart...another apropos touch. Note, also, that he is the only character who wears red.

CYPHER: You know, for a long time, I thought I was in love with you, Trinity. I used to dream about you...

CYPHER: You are a beautiful woman, Trinity. Too bad things had to work out like this.

TRINITY: You killed them.

APOC: What?!

SWITCH: Oh, God.

Remember that one of the meanings of 'cipher' is 'something of no value or importance.'

Cypher indicates that he feels like he is a nobody and is tired of taking orders from Morpheus. As Joe Pantoliano said in the July 1999 issue of Starlog, "Part of [Cypher's] problem in The Matrix is that [he] feel like a zero. [He] feels unimportant."

The crew is shocked to find that they have been betrayed by one of their own. But, although he knows the truth, Cypher was always free to make a choice. We, too, are able to reject what we have come to believe and turn our back on God.

CYPHER: I'm tired, Trinity. I'm tired of this war, I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of this ship, of being cold, of eating the same goddamn goop every day. But most of all, I'm tired of this jagoff and all of his bullshit.

CYPHER To Morpheus' body): Surprise, asshole. Bet you never saw this coming, did you? God, I wish I could be there when they break you. I wish I could walk in just as it happens, so right then, you'd know it was me.

TRINITY: My God. Morpheus. You gave them Morpheus.

CYPHER: He lied to us, Trinity! He tricked us! If he would've told us the truth, we would've told him to shove that red pill up his ass!

TRINITY: That's not true, Cypher. He set us free.

CYPHER: Free? You call this free? All I do is what he tells me to do. If I have to choose between that and the Matrix, I choose the Matrix.

TRINITY: The Matrix isn't real!

CYPHER: Oh, I disagree. I think the Matrix can be more real than this world. I mean, all I do is pull a plug here. But there, you have to watch Apoc die.

APOC: Trinity?

CYPHER: Welcome to the real world, eh baby?

SWITCH: No!

Again, Cypher reconfirms what he believes; that it is better to be in the Matrix rather than truly alive.

Cypher is like the seed that cannot weather trouble or persecution (Matthew 13:21) "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." (Galatians 6:9)

"And this is the judgment - light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness instead of light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19) That Light is Yeshua (see John 9:5) who claims to be the Truth (John 14:6) Men "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18) "Professing to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:22)

He also resembles a demon when he is on Morpheus...his goatee, of course, is one thing, but the headset suggests horns on him, although they did not on Tank.

TRINITY: But you're out, Cypher. You can't go back.

CYPHER: That's what you think. They've promised to take me back. They're going to reinsert my body. I'll go back to sleep and when I wake up, I'll be fat and rich and I won't remember a goddamned thing.

CYPHER: By the way, if you have anything terribly important to say to Switch, I suggest you say it now.

TRINITY: Oh no, please don't.

SWITCH: Not like this. Not like this.

CYPHER: Too late.

TRINITY: Goddamn you, Cypher!

CYPHER: Don't hate me, Trinity. I'm just the messenger. And right now I'm going to prove it to you.

CYPHER: If Morpheus was right, then there's no way I can pull this plug, is there?

CYPHER: If Neo is the One, then in the next few seconds there has to be some kind of miracle to stop me. Right? How can he be the One if he's dead?

CYPHER: You never did answer me, Trinity, when I asked you before. Did you buy Morpheus' bullshit? Come on. You can tell me, did you? All I want is a little yes or no. Look into his eyes, Trinity, those big pretty eyes and tell me the truth. Yes or no.

TRINITY: ...yes.

CYPHER: No!

(Charred and bloody, Tank levels the gun.)

CYPHER: I don't believe it!

TANK: Believe it or not, you piece of shit, you're still going to burn.

(and he does)

(TV Shop)

NEO: Go. You first this time.

(On Neb)

TRINITY: Tank, you're hurt.

TANK: I'll be all right.

TRINITY: Dozer?

The fact that Cypher doesn't believe there will be a miracle doesn't mean it won't happen.

The fact that a person does not believe in God, Satan, heaven, and hell, does not mean that these things do not exist. Truth IS, whether we believe it or not. Both the believer and the unbeliever will come face to face with God one day.

The believer will receive eternal life, and the unbeliever will receive eternity in hell ('gonna burn') as a just penalty for sin and rejection of God's sacrifice of His Son to make an available payment for that sin.

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