The Matrix (1999)
loreops culturesecurity
The Wachowskis' 1999 film about a programmer who discovers reality is a simulation - the most culturally saturating hacker film ever made, and the source of the red pill, bullet time, and an entire visual grammar for cyberspace.
The security field's fondness for it is narrower and more specific than the general audience's: in The Matrix Reloaded, Trinity breaks into a power station using a genuine Nmap scan and a real SSH vulnerability of the period, correctly portrayed. Fyodor documents the appearance on Nmap's own site. After decades of films where hacking meant typing loudly at a rotating three-dimensional interface, a sequel that showed an actual port scan bought the franchise permanent goodwill among practitioners.
Also known as: wachowskis, red pill, nmap scene, matrix reloaded