In the same way that crime thrillers were never the same after Reservoir Dogs, early 2000s science fiction took a major cue from The Matrix. A swathe of mind-bending dystopian films followed the Wachowskis' genre-defining masterpiece, some clearly inspired, others flat-out rip-offs. Vincenzo Natali's Cypher is an interesting one — while The Matrix‘s influence is unmistakable, Cypher feels more low-key and restrained, and if anything, its dense, twisty plot is even more ambitious.
Morgan Sullivan (Jeremy Northam) is an accountant yearning for a more adventurous life. When we meet him, he's interviewing with a shady organisation for a job in corporate espionage, tasked with recording monotonous speeches from its rival. On his first mission, he encounters the mysterious Rita (Lucy Liu), who recruits him as a double agent. So begins a labyrinthine plot that forces Morgan to question everything- including his own identity.
The follow-up to Cube, Natali's audacious, low budget debut Cypher is a marked change in gears. It's still high concept, but presented in a more conventional narrative framework. It's still a deeply unsettling film, especially in the nightmarish brainwashing scenes, but it's much subtler. The plot itself is unapologetically dense, channelling Hitchcock's “wrong man” thrillers, with several intriguing twists that draw you inexorably into the world of the film (there's even a playful North By Northwest homage). In truth it can get a little too dense, and combined with the subdued tone it can be tricky to keep up with Sullivan's constantly shifting allegiance (and identities). It also suffers from the lack of a real antagonist (the villains are either forgettable or too exaggerated to be truly menacing) which makes the finale a little anticlimactic.
Visually though, the film is stunning, with crisp, sterile cinematography, striking imagery, and ambitious set design. Despite a shoestring budget, it looks fantastic, particularly during the underground bunker sequence and the supremely tense elevator escape scene. Crucially, the action itself feels grounded and palpable, unlike the weightlessness that plagued early CGI-heavy productions.
Natali makes numerous literary and cinematic allusions—there's the paranoia of Orwell, the bureaucratic existentialism of Kafka, and the fractured identities of Philip K Dick. Meanwhile the brainwashing sequences recall the subliminal anti-capitalist messaging of They Live, the sterile environments evoke Gattaca, mass hallucinations nod to Dark City, and there's even a touch of Schizopolis in the absurd corporate lectures. All of this is to say that yes it is slightly derivative, but Natali wears his influences on his sleeve, and pulls from so many sources with such style that it ultimately feels fresh.
Northam is one of those actors who was seemingly everywhere for a very brief window, with prominent roles in Gosford Park, Amistad and Mimic. He manages the unenviable task of making the Josef K-like Sullivan a blank slate (or, you know, a cypher) while remaining a compelling protagonist. Northam perfectly captures the strain of maintaining the façade, and the progression as he gains confidence, convincingly going from sweaty and nervous to remarkably self assured—you can see why he was in talks for James Bond at one point.
Lucy Liu is also great, albeit in a slightly thankless role. She's effectively the Trinity to Northam's Neo—an expository character offering him a more exciting life, but without much personality herself. There's a certain naivety and earnestness to her performance that feels almost old-fashioned (especially considering she would appear in Kill Bill Vol. 1 only a year later). There's something refreshingly straightforward about all the performances—an almost charming sincerity compared to the detached irony that persists in cinema today. Most impressive of all is David Hewlett, who delivers a masterclass in quiet menace during a single, standout scene as an inquisitor. He's not exactly sinister, just disarmingly confident in his abilities, in a way that keeps Sullivan, and the audience, on the back foot.
A heady mix of literary and filmic influences, Cypher is a, minimalist genre piece that stands out from its flashier contemporaries. Featuring a compelling, twisty plot and a performance from Jeremy Northam that demonstrates his untapped leading man potential, Cypher is a cerebral thriller that keeps you guessing right until the final scene.
Cypher is available on Digital Platforms now
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