Movies - Keymaker

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	Movies - Keymaker

In the movie The Matrix Reloaded
, The Keymaker is a computer program taking the form of an older Asian man (portrayed by Randall Duk Kim) imprisoned by The Merovingian. Neo, Morpheus and Trinity free him with the help of the Merovingian's disaffected wife, Persephone. The Keymaker provides Neo with a key to one of the most important 'backdoors' of all the programs running on the Matrix, so that Neo can access the very core of the Matrix and confront The Architect. In helping Neo, however, the Keymaker is killed by several gunshot wounds from multiple Agent Smiths. With his dying breath he reassures Neo that it was meant to be that way.

The Keymaker appears to be one of the most valuable and sought-after programs in the Matrix. He apparently played a key role in the early construction of the Matrix, as seen by his control over the maze of hidden corridors that connects doors in the Matrix to each other in a nonlinear fashion, with little correspondence to the proximity of the doors in the "real world" of the Matrix (seen by many as a reference to the contrast between the highly-ordered program structures of source code in a high-level programming language and the jumbled-looking assembly code that underlies it). It is implied that the ability to jump at will from one building to another in the Matrix was necessary before the current Matrix was fully formed (as when debugging an incomplete program), but his continued access to these backdoors is now seen as a dangerous vulnerability, and the current generation of Agents places a high priority on terminating him.

The Keymaker's cell in the Merovingian's complex is literally covered with walls of keys, and he is constantly creating more using the tools of an old-fashioned locksmith; presumably the keyring he wears allows him to access far more keys than he actually physically carries, as he is seen to always have access to the key to any door he encounters. Besides having the key for any mundane lock in the Matrix (such as the ignition key for a motorcycle Trinity steals during his rescue) he has an endless supply of keys that change mundane doors into portals to the maze of corridors "behind" the Matrix.

Several characters, including Seraph and the Merovingian, appear to own such keys and use them to evade observation and capture by Agents, apparently provided by the Keymaker -- a "neutral" program, he seems to provide his keys for use by anyone who claims him and gives him protection, first the Merovingian (from whom Seraph may have obtained keys while working for him), then Neo and his allies.

It is implied that the Keymaker has existed since the earliest incarnations of the Matrix; he therefore has an understanding of the predestined chain of events that happens in order for the Matrix to be "reloaded" each time the One manifests, similar to the Merovingian. He is shown to carry the key that allows access to the Source separately from all his others, on a chain on his neck, in readiness for when he must give it to Neo.

Quotes

When the keymaker is asked how he knows about the doors - "I know because I must know, it is my purpose"

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