Keanu Charles Reeves is no stranger to Hollywood fans. The Canadian actor has been a favorite of the silver screen for decades, and his larger-than-life action roles have made him an icon. But before he was Neo in The Matrix or John Wick, Reeves’ career jumped off the ground with a handful of critically acclaimed performances. Here’s a look at Keanu Reeves movies and the evolution of his career as an action hero.
Early Success: Indie Movies and Blockbusters
Though most thought of the Reeves as an action star, he displayed an impressive range of talents since his first on-screen appearance in the 1986 movie Youngblood. He worked in Canadian theater and starred in a series of well received indie films throughout the late 80s and early 90s. While well-known directors such as Gus Van Sant and Tim Hunter cast him in their projects. Perhaps the most iconic of his early movies is Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a comedy released in 1989 and starring Reeves and Alex Winter.
After this success, Reeves went on to star in a variety of box-office hits such as Speed and Point Break. He also acted in a series of lesser known cult classics including I Love You to Death, Feeling Minnesota and The Devil’s Advocate. During this period of his career, Reeves displayed his knack for picking a wide variety of story driven roles, and his performances paved the way for his later career as an action star.
Taking on the Action Genre
The thespian actor made the transition to action hero with the major success of The Matrix franchise in the late 1990s. Directed by the Wachowski Sisters, the wildly popular film quickly turned Reeves into an overnight celebrity, and he has since been a timeless action movie icon. Following this success, Reeves starred in a series of action flicks, some of which were hyper-violent revenge thrillers and others that were over-the-top science fiction tales.
Revived Stardom with the John Wick Franchise
By the early 2010s, Reeves had become something of an iconic figure. But it wasn’t until 2015’s John Wick that the world once again saw its favorite action movie star grace the big screen in a major way. Directed by Chad Stahelski, this post-modern neo-noir took the action genre to a new level with a visually arresting style, quick-hit action sequences and a masterful suspense. Furthermore, the 2010s saw Reeves directly involved in a series of projects including the John Wick franchise; he even came on board as executive producer and creative director of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
Recent Career: Sci-Fi and Stranger Projects
Aside from starring in the John Wick series, Reeves has once again portrayed a variety of characters throughout his more recent career. He went back to his roots in the indie scene with titles such as Man of Tai Chi and Exposed, while also taking roles in some of Hollywood’s latest science fiction projects. He starred opposite Winona Ryder in the sleeper hit Destroying to Save followed by a starring role in the Netflix movie The Whole Truth. At the same time, he appeared in both major blockbusters, such as 2015’s Sunrise and 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3– Parabellum, as well as some stranger projects, such as Always Be My Maybe and the Weezer music video Take on Me.
The Future of Keanu Reeves Movies
The career of Keanu Reeves has been far from ordinary and the actor has kept busy in recent years with movie roles, video game voice-work and book publications. We can expect to see him later this year in Bill and Ted Face the Music, the 3rd installment of the Bill and Ted series. He has also been cast as the titular character of Robert Pattinson’s The Batman and is set to star as an immortal warrior in The Flash movie. And then, of course, there are future instalments of the John Wick franchise which have already been confirmed.
A Timeless Action Hero’s Story
Keanu Reeves’ career has been hard to beat. The actor, who is now in his late 50s, has been a Hollywood staple since the 1980s and has evolved from a beloved cult legend to an unforgettable action movie star. He has embodied a range of characters from John Wick to Neo, and his dynamic performances have cemented him into the annals of cinematic history.
Whether he’s playing an ordinary hero, a tortured villain, or just being himself, there’s no denying that Keanu Reeves is one of the greatest actor of our time. He may never age, but the tale of Keanu Reeves’ career will endure for generations to come.
