Original artwork, not a still
We're willing to wipe the slate clean, give you a fresh start. All that we're asking in return is your cooperation in bringing a known terrorist to justice.
— The Matrix · 1999
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
This is a bureaucrat's speech in a bureaucrat's voice, which is why it chills: a polite offer of amnesty from something that does not need him to say yes. It frames the Agents as middle-management villains, and Hugo Weaving's clipped delivery made the offer-with-a-threat structure a staple of villain impressions. Neo's reply is the quotable half, but Smith's phrasing is why the scene still gets pulled out as the template for a deal you cannot refuse.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The MatrixShow the scene
Early in The Matrix (1999), Thomas Anderson, the programmer who moonlights as the hacker Neo, is arrested at work and taken to an interrogation room. Agent Smith sits across from him with a file on his two lives and tells him Morpheus is wanted for terrorism in more countries than anyone alive. Smith then makes his offer of a clean slate and a fresh start in return for help catching him. Neo answers with a raised middle finger. Smith calls him a disappointment, and the Agents seal Neo's mouth shut and implant a tracking device.
Sources (2)
- Script: The Matrix (IMSDb)Interrogation room sceneReference checked
- Wikipedia: The MatrixPlotReference checked
Context reviewed
