It is pretty impressive to consider just how far Keanu Reeves has come in the action movie genre. The actor first broke out for his comedic chops in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Parenthood. He moved into the world of action with Point Break in 1991, which remains a classic of the genre but a few years later, he proved that success wasn’t a one-off when he starred in Speed in 1994. Again, it’s a film that is still held in high regard today, but it’s also important as the first of a few movies in Reeves’ career that reinvented the genre.
Just a few years after Speed, Keanu Reeves once again took over action movies by starring as the lead in 1999’s The Matrix. This was another game-changing film that helped set the tone for so many projects in the years that followed. Reeves branched out and tried several other genres and even some other action flicks, but then kind of disappeared for a while. He was still acting, just not in anything too prominent. That changed when he took on the titular role in 2014’s John Wick, which once again changed action movies going forward, cementing Reeves as a pivotal figure in the genre.
A lot of actors find a style that works for them and they go back to the well often. Just look at Liam Neeson and Jason Statham as examples, as each has several films that are almost interchangeable in terms of plot, style, and the action itself. That’s a fine and entertaining way to go but it’s commendable that Keanu Reeves is constantly trying something different. Each of Reeves’ best action movies that helped change the genre is quite different from the others.
Speed is the ultimate thrill ride. Reeves plays an LAPD officer on a runaway bus that will explode if the speed drops under 50 miles per hour. That leads to a movie where things never calm down and Reeves gets to showcase his likability as a heroic protagonist. The Matrix is as good as it gets for sci-fi action, featuring sequences that everyone tried to replicate in the years that followed. Meanwhile, Reeves’ stoic Neo became one of his best characters. John Wick then changed things again, following an assassin and focusing on close-quarters combat, world-building, and impressive stunts often done by Reeves himself.
On top of changing the landscape of the action genre, each of these films also did something important for Keanu Reeves. They each signal the start of a different era for the actor, often injecting new life into his career. Speed proved that Point Break wasn’t a fluke and hammered home the idea that Reeves could be a leading man in Hollywood. It truly helped him shed the image of a comedic actor and made sure he was someone who could be taken seriously by the masses.
The rest of the ’90s saw Reeves show off his versatility, yet he didn’t really appear in another action hit. The Matrix changed that, becoming a box office hit and changing his career again. Reeves now had a franchise that he could lead and the success of it allowed him to try new things in smaller projects. We kind of stopped seeing Reeves in major movies until John Wick rejuvenated his career. He was great as a lead who barely spoke and he let his stunt work do a lot of the talking, which added another facet to his talents.
John Wick marked a second major action franchise with Keanu Reeves as the lead and not many actors get more than one. It also signaled a new start for Reeves, who has landed some big roles in the years since. From sequels like The Matrix Resurrections and Bill & Ted Face the Music to voice roles in Toy Story 4 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Keanu Reeves is everywhere now.
It is big talk to say that one actor had three movies that reinvented a genre, but it’s true with Reeves. Hollywood has been trying to replicate all three of these film since they arrived, especially in the immediate aftermath of their release. After Speed, a lot of action films attempted the idea of a high-stakes story on a vehicle, whether it was Chill Factor, Air Force One, or Turbulence. Even over a decade later, films like Unstoppable followed a similar premise.
So many action movies from the 2000s looked to replicate the action style of The Matrix. The use of bullet time, the wire-fu, and more popped up in plenty of films in the genre over the years. Equilibrium, almost anything from Zack Snyder, and Wanted are just some examples. Meanwhile, after Reeves did a lot of his own stunts and spent hours training in John Wick, there was an influx of movies where actors followed suit. Nobody, The Beekeeper, and Monkey Man are all recent films that take a lot from what John Wick did in 2014.
Which Keanu Reeves action movie is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
