Keanu Reeves has spent his entire career defying convention. Despite earning his first big break on the dark 1986 crime thriller River’s Edge, the fresh-faced and undeniably photogenic Reeves first struck box office gold with an entirely different type of teen film.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure was like nothing that had come before or since, but despite returning for the first of two sequels just a few years later, Reeves was never one for resting on his laurels.
What followed was an eclectic mix of projects. Whether it was playing undercover surf cop bank robber Johnny Utah in Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break or the role of Jonathan Harker in Francis Ford Coppola’s atmospheric version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Reeves has never been averse to taking risks.
It’s not always worked out. Films like The Lake House and 47 Ronin were commendable for finding the star outside of his comfort zone but fall flat with viewers. But without Reeves; willingness to push himself, fans might never have gotten movies like The Matrix or John Wick and its many sequels. With so many film roles to admire, here are just seven of the star’s very best.
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7. Johnny – Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
In a classic example of the kind of leftfield turns made throughout his career, Reeves opted to follow up the blockbuster success of Speed with this offbeat cyberpunk tale about a courier who is paid to carry data packages in his brain. Legendary sci-fi writer William Gibson penned the script for this wildly inventive tale with artist turned filmmaker Robert Longo directing. In truth, Johnny Mnemonic might not have made it off the ground were it not for Reeves’ involvement but his decision to sign on proved a blessing and a curse.
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The success of Speed prompted Sony to rethink the approach to Johnny Mnemonic. Rewrites were ordered, there were changes to the cast and Longo found himself locked out of the edit suite as the studio tried to shape what was arthouse fare into something approaching a blockbuster, removing much of the satirical edge Longo and Gibson had strived for. Though it flopped upon release, Johnny Mnemonic has emerged as a cult classic since, brimming with ideas and bolstered by a fine turn from Reeves, whose blank, intentionally robotic performance proved a perfect fit for a character who uses his vacant headspace to transport information.
6. John Constantine – Constantine (2005)
Coming in an era when comic book movie adaptations largely underwhelmed fans, Constantine was unfairly tarred with the same brush as Ben Affleck’s Daredevil or the Fantastic Four movies featuring Jessica Alba. It’s a cut above both though, thanks mainly to Reeves’ turn as John Constantine, the central figure in the popular DC Comics series Hellblazer, an exorcist tasked with seeing the demons that secretly walk among us on Earth, incognito, and sending them straight back to Hell.
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In a stellar cast that features Tilda Swinton, Djimon Housou, a young Shia Leboeuf and Peter Stormare – in scenery-chewing form as Lucifer himself – it’s Reeves that keeps the show together. In other hands, this often wild tale might have fallen apart, but Reeves is able to retain Constantine’s trademark cynicism from the comics while also using his innate on-screen charisma to infuse things with a Zen-like spirituality that’s crucial to making the whole thing tick. Constantine was a box office hit upon release and while it was initially reviled by critics, it has developed a cult following in the years since. More importantly, Reeves’ eagerness to return to the role means that, nearly 20 years on, a sequel is now on the cards.
5. Office Jack Traven – Speed (1994)
Reeves cemented his action movie star status with this classic 90s high-concept action thriller about a bomb on a bus that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. Director Jan De Bont had toyed with the idea of approaching usual suspects like Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise for the role of under pressure Police officer and bomb disposal expert Jack Travern, but saw something unique in Reeves. “What is nice about him as an action hero is that he’s vulnerable on the screen. He’s not threatening to men because he’s not that bulky, and he looks great to women,” De Bont told Entertainment Weekly at the time. Reeves underwent an image makeover for the part, most notably shaving off his trademark locks for a back-to-basics buzzcut that fit the part perfectly.
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Aided by Dennis Hopper’s brilliantly villainous turn as Howard Payne as well as fine support work from Jeff Daniels and Sandra Bullock, Speed could easily have been the start of an action franchise for Reeves. He was keen to explore other things though, leading to a cruise ship-set sequel starring Jason Patric and a returning Bullock which proved something of a damp squib.
4. Johnny Utah – Point Break (1991)
Reeves might not have landed the starring role in Speed were it not for his previous turn as Johnny Utah in Kathryn Bigelow’s gloriously over-the-top action thriller. Reeves plays Johnny Utah, a rookie FBI agent tasked with infiltrating a surfer gang led by Patrick Swayze’s Bodhi who are suspected of pulling off a string of armed robberies.
Reeves had never surfed before prior to working on this movie and prepared for the role and spent two months training with former pro surfer Dennis Jarvis on the Hawaiian island of Kauai prior to filming. He ended up taking up surfing as a hobby as a result of the experience.
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Stunt work aside, Reeves earned praise for his performance as Utah, who finds himself increasingly sucked into the brotherhood that exists between Bodhi and his surf buddies. Reeves described his character as a “total control freak and the ocean beats him up and challenges him. After a while everything becomes a game. He becomes as amoral as any criminal. He loses the difference between right and wrong.”
3. Ted ‘Theodore’ Logan – Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
The film that helped launch Reeves’ A-list career, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure might seem big, dumb and lots of fun on the surface, but Ed Solomon’s imaginative script, which sees the titular duo of Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Reeves) enlist a selection of historical figures to help them pass a history assignment is a joy from start to finish.
While the writer undoubtedly deserves credit for coming up with such a distinctive take on the popular high school comedy formula, what makes the film work more than anything is the likable central performances of Winter and Reeves. They might not have many brain cells between them, but a string of pitch perfect catchphrases, coupled with some perfectly delivered gags make this a firm favorite that has spawned two sequels to date.
2. Neo – The Matrix (1999)
Coming at a time when Reeves was experiencing something of a lull in his career, the reality is that Reeves might never have been cast as Neo had it not been for Will Smith deciding to pass on the project in favor of Wild Wild West. In truth, it’s doubtful whether Smith could have pulled off the part in the way Reeves did. His trademark cool and sense of detachment were perfect for the role of Neo, an office drone by day and hacker by night who discovers the world we know is a lie and everyone is living in a simulation.
Reeves’ physicality was crucial to the film, which relied heavily on special effects, gun-play and martial arts action. Once again though, it was Reeves’ ability to imbue what might have been a hokum premise in some hands with a sense of seriousness and spirituality which proved crucial to the movie’s enduring success. No one has looked better in a leather jacket than Reeves in his.
1. John Wick – John Wick (2014)
Essentially stripping away the philosophical elements of The Matrix movies, which ultimately weighed down the sequels too heavily, it’s no surprise that John Wick was helmed by Chad Stahelski, a stunt performer who worked on the famous lobby scene from the aforementioned movie.
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John Wick is back-to-basics in terms of plot. A retired assassin comes out gunning for revenge against the gang who murdered the puppy gifted to him by his recently deceased wife. What makes Wick so special is the slick, John Woo-inspired gunkata that runs throughout the movie. Once again, Reeves does a lot with very little, giving Wick a stoic feel that quickly gives way to a series of action sequences so slick and perfectly executed the results look like something akin to ballet. It’s the movie that has become Reeves’ brand. Spawning three sequels already and a spin-off, few would rule out Reeves making a few more of these in the coming years.
