Keymaker
Encyclopedia
The Keymaker is a fictional character
in The Matrix film series
(originally from The Matrix Reloaded
) portrayed by Korean-American actor Randall Duk Kim
. The Keymaker is one of the sentient programs, rogue to the System
. It carves shortcut
keys
used by every program in the Matrix. With those keys one can move throughout the entire Matrix, being able to access any and all of its entities. Summoned by The Oracle in The Matrix Reloaded, protagonist
Neo
has to find the Keymaker to access the backdoor to the Architect
(also credited as The Source) of the Matrix and ultimately save the only human stronghold in the real world, Zion
.
The casting director Mali Finn
succeeded in bringing Kim to the attention of Wachowski brothers, The Matrix creators. "Randall Duk Kim was cast for his talent, his presence and his voice", said Finn. After meeting the brothers, Kim said he agreed to the Keymaker role "without a single bit of hesitation".
is represented by the bitting
on the key, as illustrated when Seraph
uses one to reach a corridor filled with backdoors in The Matrix Reloaded
.
South and East Asians bodies navigate the interstitial spaces of the Matrix, such as sterilized hallways in The Matrix Reloaded and the purgatorial subway station in The Matrix Revolutions
. According to The Matrix in Theory by Myriam Díaz-Diocaretz and Stefan Herbrechter, the Keymaker and Seraph, depicted as subservient and asexual, fulfill the Orient
alist fantasy. The Keymaker is an old program and his past is obscure. Faced with deletion or exile, he chooses exile. Consequently he becomes a type of program known as the exile and is referred to as such by the agents in The Matrix Reloaded. The agents of The Matrix were always hijacking a human body through the Keymaker in particular. Kim says his character shouldn't have any freedom of choice, but he did make a choice by hiding along with the other exiles.
Along with the Trainman, Twins
, Cain, Abel, the Chessman and Dire Lupines, the Keymaker belongs to infiltration programs. Parallel with the Trainman, Sati, Kamala and Silver, he is within the modelization programs. Facilitating rapid passage between otherwise incongruent spaces of the Matrix, characters such as the Keymaker and Seraph do so entirely to serve the purposes of others (the Merovingian, who guards the imprisoned Keymaker, explains him as being a means but not a 'why'). Merovingian's world makes use of the access provided by the Keymaker to serve his own ends (in The Matrix: Path of Neo
Agent Smith
wants the Keymaker to join his army). As the Merovingian refuses to bring Neo to the Keymaker, his wayward wife Persephone makes a deal. In exchange for a single kiss from Neo in a way she could feel love, Persephone agrees to secretly guide Neo and the rest to the Keymaker's hidden workplace. The room is filled with thousands of keys representing different modes of activating higher states of awareness.
The Keymaker says the backdoor corridor is in "the building", a skyscraper
-like virtual counterpart of the computer which runs the Matrix. The corridor however is invisible to operators
as it doesn't show up on their screens. It is also a place "where no elevator can go, and no stair can reach" until the building is de-energized
. The Keymaker informs further that there is only one door to the Source, adding that it will be accessible for exactly 314 seconds. The number is explained by the Keymaker as "the length and breadth of the window" without the measurement units being specified. There is also an assumption that the number is a reference to pi
(3.14) as every key and every door culminates in one event which completes the circle of accessing method. Saying then to Morpheus "That door will take you home" the Keymaker shows him how to escape to the next telephone - a device used to leave the Matrix.
Keymaker's opposite is Captain Jason "Deadbolt" Locke, who stands in the way of Neo's path. Having fulfilled his providential
purpose, the Keymaker is shot dead by Smith's copies. He announces that "it was meant to be" and succeeds in passing his key to Neo.
and I did about three-quarters of what's seen up there", he revealed. Even though Kim was backed by the professional motorcross racer David Barrett in a jump that was a double on the Ducati. In the June 2001 interview stunt player Debbie Evans said it was "pretty ambitious, because those bikes aren't made to do that sort of thing, but we pulled it off".
The Keymaker also appears in the short lampoon MTV: Reloaded, produced for the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in The Matrix film series
The Matrix (franchise)
The Matrix is a science fiction action franchise created by Andy and Larry Wachowski and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The series began with the 1999 film The Matrix and later spawned two sequels; The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003, thus forming a trilogy...
(originally from The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
) portrayed by Korean-American actor Randall Duk Kim
Randall Duk Kim
Randall Duk Kim is a Korean-American stage, television and film actor. Kim was also the artistic director and mainstay lead actor at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, which he founded with Anne Occhiogrosso and Charles Bright...
. The Keymaker is one of the sentient programs, rogue to the System
Cybernetic revolt
Cybernetic revolt or robot uprising is a scenario in which an artificial intelligence decide that humans are a threat , are inferior, or are oppressors and try to destroy or to enslave them potentially leading to...
. It carves shortcut
Computer shortcut
A file shortcut in Microsoft Windows is a small file containing a target URI or GUID to an object, or the name of a target program file that the shortcut represents. The shortcut might additionally specify parameters to be passed to the target program when it is run. Each shortcut can have its own...
keys
Key (lock)
A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to...
used by every program in the Matrix. With those keys one can move throughout the entire Matrix, being able to access any and all of its entities. Summoned by The Oracle in The Matrix Reloaded, protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
Neo
Neo (The Matrix)
Thomas A. Anderson is a fictional character and the main protagonist in The Matrix franchise, as well as having a cameo in The Animatrix short film, Kid's Story. He was portrayed by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Trilogy and The Animatrix. Andrew Bowen provided Neo's voice in The Matrix: Path of Neo...
has to find the Keymaker to access the backdoor to the Architect
Architect (The Matrix)
The Architect is a fictional character in the last two films of the Matrix trilogy, created by the Wachowski brothers. The character is played by Helmut Bakaitis. He also makes an appearance in the MMORPG The Matrix Online.-Constructing the First Matrices:...
(also credited as The Source) of the Matrix and ultimately save the only human stronghold in the real world, Zion
Zion (The Matrix)
Zion is a fictional city in The Matrix films. It is the last human city on the planet Earth after a cataclysmic nuclear war between humankind and sentient Machines, which resulted in artificial lifeforms dominating the world.-History:...
.
The casting director Mali Finn
Mali Finn
Mali Finn , born Mary Alice Mann, also known as Mally Finn, was an American Hollywood casting director and a former English and drama teacher...
succeeded in bringing Kim to the attention of Wachowski brothers, The Matrix creators. "Randall Duk Kim was cast for his talent, his presence and his voice", said Finn. After meeting the brothers, Kim said he agreed to the Keymaker role "without a single bit of hesitation".
Keys
Within the Matrix, keys represent tokens of authentication used to gain access to a backdoor or control of a device. The authenticatorAuthenticator
An authenticator is a way to prove to a computer system that you really are who you are . It is either:* A piece of data that you got from the last place where you proved who you are .* A program, usually running somewhere on the computer network, that takes care of...
is represented by the bitting
Bitting
A bitting is the part of the key that actually engages the tumblers to activate the lock. Bittings are often represented as a code which instructs how a key is to be cut by a locksmith. The bitting is usually a series of integers that is usually translated from a key code chart or from a...
on the key, as illustrated when Seraph
Seraph (The Matrix)
Seraph is the name of a fictional character in the science-fiction Matrix universe. He is portrayed as the personification of a sophisticated challenge-handshake authentication protocol which guards the Oracle....
uses one to reach a corridor filled with backdoors in The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
.
Plot
Randall Duk Kim describes the Keymaker as a character that belongs in Wind in the Willows but then somehow ended up in Alice in Wonderland and then got lost in the Matrix. Wachowski brothers' thoughts on Keymaker were coming on the spot as various takes were done. He is a creation of collaboration, where Larry Wachowski suggested Kim to cut his stride in half, so that Keymaker's movements appeared as more of a scurry, than a normal gait.South and East Asians bodies navigate the interstitial spaces of the Matrix, such as sterilized hallways in The Matrix Reloaded and the purgatorial subway station in The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American science fiction film and the third installment of The Matrix trilogy. The film was released six months following The Matrix Reloaded. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5,...
. According to The Matrix in Theory by Myriam Díaz-Diocaretz and Stefan Herbrechter, the Keymaker and Seraph, depicted as subservient and asexual, fulfill the Orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
alist fantasy. The Keymaker is an old program and his past is obscure. Faced with deletion or exile, he chooses exile. Consequently he becomes a type of program known as the exile and is referred to as such by the agents in The Matrix Reloaded. The agents of The Matrix were always hijacking a human body through the Keymaker in particular. Kim says his character shouldn't have any freedom of choice, but he did make a choice by hiding along with the other exiles.
Along with the Trainman, Twins
Twins (The Matrix)
The Twins are fictional characters in the 2003 film The Matrix Reloaded. They are the henchmen of the Merovingian who can become translucent and move through solid objects....
, Cain, Abel, the Chessman and Dire Lupines, the Keymaker belongs to infiltration programs. Parallel with the Trainman, Sati, Kamala and Silver, he is within the modelization programs. Facilitating rapid passage between otherwise incongruent spaces of the Matrix, characters such as the Keymaker and Seraph do so entirely to serve the purposes of others (the Merovingian, who guards the imprisoned Keymaker, explains him as being a means but not a 'why'). Merovingian's world makes use of the access provided by the Keymaker to serve his own ends (in The Matrix: Path of Neo
The Matrix: Path of Neo
The Matrix: Path of Neo is the third video game based on the Matrix series and the second developed by Shiny Entertainment. Players control the character Neo, participating in scenes from the films. It was released on October 4, 2005 in North America....
Agent Smith
Agent Smith
Agent Smith is the main antagonist of The Matrix film series and multimedia franchise, mainly played by actor Hugo Weaving and briefly by actor Ian Bliss in the films and voiced by Christopher Corey Smith in The Matrix: Path of Neo.In 2008, Agent Smith was selected by Empire Magazine as number 84...
wants the Keymaker to join his army). As the Merovingian refuses to bring Neo to the Keymaker, his wayward wife Persephone makes a deal. In exchange for a single kiss from Neo in a way she could feel love, Persephone agrees to secretly guide Neo and the rest to the Keymaker's hidden workplace. The room is filled with thousands of keys representing different modes of activating higher states of awareness.
The Keymaker says the backdoor corridor is in "the building", a skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
-like virtual counterpart of the computer which runs the Matrix. The corridor however is invisible to operators
Operator (The Matrix)
The Operator on a Zion hovercraft is the online guide and resource liaison for redpill crewmembers while they are jacked in to the Matrix, a virtual computer-generated world set in the end of the 20th Century. Each hovercraft has an Operator...
as it doesn't show up on their screens. It is also a place "where no elevator can go, and no stair can reach" until the building is de-energized
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
. The Keymaker informs further that there is only one door to the Source, adding that it will be accessible for exactly 314 seconds. The number is explained by the Keymaker as "the length and breadth of the window" without the measurement units being specified. There is also an assumption that the number is a reference to pi
Pi
' is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter. is approximately equal to 3.14. Many formulae in mathematics, science, and engineering involve , which makes it one of the most important mathematical constants...
(3.14) as every key and every door culminates in one event which completes the circle of accessing method. Saying then to Morpheus "That door will take you home" the Keymaker shows him how to escape to the next telephone - a device used to leave the Matrix.
Keymaker's opposite is Captain Jason "Deadbolt" Locke, who stands in the way of Neo's path. Having fulfilled his providential
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
purpose, the Keymaker is shot dead by Smith's copies. He announces that "it was meant to be" and succeeds in passing his key to Neo.
Role experience
In an interview to Tim Lammers, which promoted the film's DVD release, Kim told: "I'm so happy to be part of such a wonderful tale as this. I was a fan before I even got the audition call for Reloaded". "When I got the part, you could hardly keep me from flying off the ground," Kim gleefully recalled. Despite the elaborate set-up and tireless hours, Kim said he could not get enough of the Matrix experience. "On every single day of that shoot I felt like a little kid on big adventure," Kim enthused. "And working for the brothers, they're childlike in their creativity - it's just contagious". Kim said further that the stunt drivers in the freeway motorcycle chase scene were some of the most amazing people he had ever met. "That was real. I would say CarrieCarrie-Anne Moss
-External links:...
and I did about three-quarters of what's seen up there", he revealed. Even though Kim was backed by the professional motorcross racer David Barrett in a jump that was a double on the Ducati. In the June 2001 interview stunt player Debbie Evans said it was "pretty ambitious, because those bikes aren't made to do that sort of thing, but we pulled it off".
The Keymaker also appears in the short lampoon MTV: Reloaded, produced for the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.