Keanu Reeves is more than just another Hollywood star. His thoughtful public persona and empathetic performances are lauded by fans the world over. From teen heartthrob to stone-cold badass, few actors have managed to evolve as gracefully as Reeves. In celebration of his career, we’ve compiled the Top 10 Keanu Reeves Movies of All Time.
1. The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix was the movie that catapulted Keanu Reeves to cult icon status. His portrayal of Neo – an average computer hacker who moonlights as a rebel against the controllers of our reality – is undeniably his best work. The Wachowskis’ love of kung fu cinema is clear in every frame of this epic action flick. Reeves and co-stars Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne all received months of martial arts training with Yuen Woo-ping.
Reeves gives a nuanced performance in this drama as a high school slacker who commits a shocking crime, but the film’s exploitation of race relations is what really hurt its chances of success. This is one of the actor’s rare misfires. The shots of him streaking through a hall with guns blazing are still iconic, however.
2. Speed (1994)
The first (and only) time Reeves ever took on directorial duties, this batshit crazy martial arts flick is a testament to the actor’s deep understanding of the genre. It’s a movie that speaks for itself, with beautifully choreographed fighting sequences and authentic representations of many different fighting styles.
Keanu isn’t your typical action hero, but his performance here transformed him into one. He plays SWAT officer Jack Traven, who must stop a bomb-laden bus. He faces off against a maniacal Dennis Hopper and is aided by a young Sandra Bullock.
This gut-wrenching drama is Reeves at his rawest and most believable. He delivers an unforgettable performance as Chris Townsend, a high school kid devastated by his friend’s suicide. Gus Van Sant’s film is both a coming of age story and an exploration of grief and loss.
3. The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997)
Reeves and Alex Winter channel their inner valley dudes in this uber-silly but incredibly charming comedy. It’s just one of those ibomma films that makes you glad Keanu is still around after all this time.
After Bill & Ted, Reeves tried to shake his ‘Ted’ stigma with some highbrow projects like his turn as a slumming rich boy in My Own Private Idaho, a deranged vampire hunter in Dracula and Shakespearean party-pooper in Much Ado About Nothing. But Nachmanoff’s movie keeps a weird, energised balance between the silly and the serious that few can do.
Keanu took on a new, more deadly persona in this action flick. The combination of surf and cheese, shoot-outs and classic Busey make it an instant classic. It even has the infamous scene where Reeves rolls on the ground in frustration. What more could you ask for?
4. Henry’s Crime (2010)
Henry (Keanu Reeves) is a toll booth operator living a life without dreams or passion. When he’s unwittingly roped into being a getaway driver for a bank robbery by a buddy of his (Fisher Stevens), he gets caught and spends three years in prison. While there, he meets Max (James Caan) and learns to focus on the good things in life.
Despite being a little slow at times, this film is a solid drama that makes us think about what we value in life. And it’s always great to see Keanu Reeves in anything other than a generic sports comedy. This is one of his better recent movies. Families can discuss what it is about this movie that appeals to audiences and why. They can also talk about the underlying themes of the film that are worth considering.
5. Man of Tai Chi (1993)
A sultry, devastating drama that captures the angst of adolescence in perfect clarity. Keanu Reeves is just as good as he ever was, and the movie carries an undeniable weight.
In a future America that has lost the war on drugs, an undercover FBI agent infiltrates a community of addicts who use a hallucinatory drug and end up losing themselves in the process. This Richard Linklater adaptation of Philip K Dick’s novel is a tense, gritty thriller.
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Reeves had hit a bit of a slump by the time this action-packed fantasy film debuted in 2014. But he proves that he still runs the action-movie world with this vengeful masterpiece, where he plays an infamous assassin who is forced to re enter his old lifestyle after his wife dies. His chemistry with co-star River Phoenix is electric. And the action sequences, designed by Yuen Woo-ping (The Matrix, The Grandmaster), are thrillingly fluid and stylish. Custom Cardboard Kraft Boxes
