Zach S. Staenberg, A.C.E. (born August 1951) is an American film editor best known for his work on action films and the Matrix Trilogy. Staenberg won an Academy Award and two ACE Eddie Award for the editing of The Matrix (1999) and for HBO's Gotti (1996) for which he was also nominated for an Emmy. The Matrix films were written and directed by the Wachowskis, with whom Staenberg has had an extended collaboration dating from 1996. He is a frequent collaborator of director Andrew Niccol.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 1, 1951 (75)
- USA
- Editor, also producer
- 36 on MovieCove · 41 credits in all
What are Zach Staenberg's films like?
Across their 29 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 2 · Earnest 23
A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 10 · Dark 14
A split, not a type: Grounded 12 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 12
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 11 · Intense 15
Steady 8 · Shifting 15 · Whiplash 6
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 21 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 5
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 8
Casual 8 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 7
Easy watch 8 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 8
Resolved 21 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Happy12
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Zach Staenberg's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 36 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).
Subscription and free streaming for Zach Staenberg's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
41 credits, 36 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Unabomber(2026)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
The Killer(2024)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Silent Night(2023)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
The In Between(2022)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
American Night(2021)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Ava(2020)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Pacific Rim: Uprising(2018)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Sand Castle(2017)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Good Kill(2014)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Blackhat(2015)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all filmsModern Noir: The Sights & Sounds of 'Bound' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Ender's Game(2013)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
In Time(2011)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Bunraku(2010)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
City of Ember(2008)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Speed Racer(2008)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Lord of War(2005)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
The Matrix Revolutions(2003)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
The Matrix Reloaded(2003)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Final Flight of the Osiris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Antitrust(2001)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
The Crossing(2000)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Matrix(1999)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Phoenix(1998)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Bound(1996)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Gotti(1996)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Cisco Kid(1994)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Nowhere to Run(1993)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all filmsLa Pastorela: The Shepherd's Tale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Eyes of an Angel(1991)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Conagher(1991)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Stripped to Kill(1987)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
End of the Rainbow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Rustlers' Rhapsody(1985)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Police Academy(1984)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Twilight Zone: The Movie(1983)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
China Lake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Career shape
A full career of 37 titles from 1983 to 2024.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
an Oscar from 3 major nominations, 1997–2000.
- Oscar, won · Best Film Editing
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Editing
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special - Single Camera Production
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Zach Staenberg's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 36; across their 29 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up9
- 50th to 74th12
- 25th to 49th10
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
15 of their 36 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved5
- Crowd Pleaser15
- Broadly Agreed8
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the pacing 45/100 in their films, across 28 reviewed titles; fans 56, detractors 28. The element that speaks to their work as an editor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Zach Staenberg's work okay for kids?
Across up to 20 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Zach Staenberg work with?
People who share at least 2 of Zach Staenberg's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Don Davis shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Lana WachowskiShared titles: The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix (1999), Bound (1996)See all 4 shared titles with Lana Wachowski
- Lilly WachowskiShared titles: The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix (1999), Bound (1996)See all 4 shared titles with Lilly Wachowski
- Robert HarmonShared titles: The Crossing (2000), Gotti (1996), Nowhere to Run (1993), Eyes of an Angel (1991)See all 4 shared titles with Robert Harmon
- John WooShared titles: The Killer (2024), Silent Night (2023)See all 2 shared titles with John Woo
Actors
- Carrie-Anne MossShared titles: The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Carrie-Anne Moss
- Hugo WeavingShared titles: The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Hugo Weaving
- Keanu ReevesShared titles: The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Keanu Reeves
- Laurence FishburneShared titles: The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Laurence Fishburne
Composers and cinematographers
- Don DavisShared titles: The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), Antitrust (2001), The Matrix (1999), Weapons of Mass Distraction (1997), Bound (1996)See all 6 shared titles with Don Davis
- Marco BeltramiShared titles: Unabomber (2026), The Killer (2024), Silent Night (2023), American Night (2021)See all 4 shared titles with Marco Beltrami
- Bill PopeShared titles: The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix (1999), Bound (1996)See all 4 shared titles with Bill Pope
- Amir MokriShared titles: Once Upon a Time in Venice (2017), Good Kill (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Amir Mokri
Producers
- Nicolas ChartierShared titles: Ava (2020), Once Upon a Time in Venice (2017), Good Kill (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Nicolas Chartier
- David CoatsworthShared titles: Ender's Game (2013), The Crossing (2000), Gotti (1996)See all 3 shared titles with David Coatsworth
- Andrew MasonShared titles: The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Andrew Mason
- Bruce BermanShared titles: The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Bruce Berman
