Keanu Reeves has been in a wide variety of Hollywood movies throughout the decades and will continue to make waves in the future with his appearance in Cyberpunk 2077, another Matrix movie, and two more John Wick movies, among other projects.
Now is as good of a time to catch up on some of the best Keanu movies.
Here are the 6 most excellent movies of the man’s storied career.
6. A Scanner Darkly – 2006
A Scanner Darkly is interesting even just with the way it was shot, as acclaimed director Richard Linklater used rotoscope on this story based on a Philip K. Dick novel.
Reeves is joined by other well-known actors in Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey Jr. and Winona Ryder for a drug-fueled trippy affair of a movie.
It also takes place in a dystopia that Reeves fans may see some similarity too with Reeve’s Matrix trilogy.
In terms of simply cinematic experience, the movie is completely unique and the amount of time and effort put in by Linklater and others to make this a riveting experience cannot be overlooked.
5. John Wick – 2014
This is the first of a few franchises that Reeves has starred in. There are now three John Wick movies with a least two more in the works.
This was a huge movie for Reeves, as it took him out of a relative lull in his career and made him yet again one of Hollywood’s top action stars.
The movie is action-packed and full of twists and turns. This is all because Wick’s dog is killed.
There is a feeling in the way Reeves plays Wick that shows a tortured and angered man who has been provoked to a point of no return.
Being the first movie in the series, it sets the tone and is the one to see if you are looking for a new action-based thriller you haven’t seen yet.
4. Point Break – 1991
This is a fairly early Reeves movie and he stars as the surfer and FBI agent who befriends the unorthodox Bodhi played by the late Patrick Swayze.
Anyone who enjoys surfing needs to see this movie and it plays out as both a showcase of the sport and as a sort of buddy drama between the two leads.
Director Kathryn Bigelow has beautiful scenes on the beach throughout the movie, and the character development of Swayze in particular is excellent.
Before Point Break, Reeves was known mostly for playing the goofball in the Bill & Ted franchise, but this was the movie that established him as a serious action star and really set him up for what was to come in Speed.
3. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure – 1989
Keanu Reeves met his perfect partner in this whimsical 1989 comedy which co-starred Alex Winter as Bill.
The two share one action-packed scene after another through history and the hilarity of the protagonist’s valley accents is showcased throughout.
The movie is considered a cult classic and has spawned two sequels in the years since.
The movie also features George Carlin as the all-knowing Rufus and a supporting cast who do a decent job impersonating the historical characters they are playing.
Bill & Ted is a movie where you will laugh, learn, and ponder a few things.
Its take on time travel is fairly amusing and it is an essential movie for any music fan or those nostalgic for a time before the Internet.
If that isn’t enough, the movie is chock-full of quotable one-liners that are hard to stop repeating.
2. Speed – 1994
Speed might be the best pure action movie of all-time. Reeves expands on his previous cop role in Point Break and plays the logistical hero throughout the high paced thriller.
He also gets excellent support from his romantic interest, Sandra Bullock, in her breakout role.
Dennis Hopper, Jeff Daniels, Joe Morton and Alan Ruck also play important parts throughout the movie. Reeves’ Jack Traven is a character the audience can really identify with as he uses his knowledge to help hostages stay alive as they are held captive on a bus that cannot decelerate below 55 miles per hour.
The sheer amount of literal twists and turns throughout Speed makes this an unforgettable action movie and gives viewers a new perspective on how bad traffic in LA can really be.
The frenetic soundtrack also adds to the suspense of the movie and Daniels’ partnership with Reeves is believable throughout Speed.
In a way, the movie is a buddy cop take where the buddies are separated for the bulk of the movie.
1. The Matrix -1999
This list really cannot be complete without the mention of the first Matrix movie.
Whether or not you enjoyed its sequels or are excited for the upcoming movie in the franchise, the original is a landmark movie in the history of cinema.
The stunts, visual effects, soundtrack, and dialogue are really ahead of their time and set the tone for decades to come for science-fiction and action alike.
Reeves is “Neo” and is taken to a world nothing like what he knows. The unique concept alone from the Wachowski’s is brilliant and it is truly a cyberpunk classic to this day.
Odds are if you think of Reeves you think of his “I know Kung Fu”, “Whoa” lines, as well as the stop-action film style, made mainstream by the film. It is one of those movies that can be rewatched again and again.
