Top Keanu Reeves Action Movies, Ranked
In 2020, Keanu Reeves was ranked number four on The New York Times list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century. The Canadian actor began his career in the mid-1980s on stage and television, but it wasn’t until he starred as Neo in the sci-fi action movie The Matrix that he became famous. Since then, Reeves has become one of the highest paid actors, earning over $250 million for the Matrix franchise.
Along with becoming a successful and respected actor, he also found himself transformed into a popular internet meme (sad Keanu) and eventually nicknamed, endearingly, “the internet’s boyfriend”. He became widely adored by fans and fellow Hollywood actors for being a sweet, introverted and generous celebrity who was charming in people’s hearts.
All adoration aside, Reeves began his career with a silly role in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a sci-fi comedy, but eventually proved himself to be one of Hollywood’s most enduring action stars. . He’s now starred in some of the best-known modern action movies in history and because of that, we’ve decided to rank Keanu Reeves’ best action movies, from Speed to John Wick.
5/5 John Wick
Lions Gate
The first film in the John Wick franchise is simply titled John Wick, which introduces us to the titular character, a retired hitman, after the death of his wife. It’s when a Russian crime lord kills his dog, his dead wife’s only remaining gift, that he’s forced to return to the criminal underworld for revenge. Compared to other films in the franchise, it tends to be the lesser of the three, but it’s still loved by action fans for its storytelling and introduces a rich tradition for audiences to engage with the film and its character. major. If that first movie wasn’t as solid as it was, there wouldn’t have been the amazing sequels or the ground they could be built on, which we all love. The movie also came at a time when pure action movies, without the involvement of superheroes, just didn’t work as well as they used to. Indeed, the release of John Wick not only saved the modern action movie, but also defined the action films of the 2010s.
4/5 John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Lions Gate
The third and so far final film in the John Wick franchise, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, was released in 2019 and is the most ambitious film in the franchise to date. The movie proved that screenwriters could keep making bigger and bigger movies with more elaborate stunts and bigger plot twists. This is something very crucial for a franchise to achieve, especially if they want to have continued success.
Although some people think it’s gotten so elaborate it doesn’t even feel close to where the movie started – which is a common trend in action movies trying to continue with sequels. – it kept up with the other films. , leaving many people excited for the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4.
3/5 John Wick: Chapter 2
Lions Gate
Reeves is no stranger to blockbuster action franchises, and the success of the first John Wick movie sparked another major blockbuster franchise for the actor. So in 2017, three years after the first film was released, John Wick: Chapter 2 was released and was generally praised by critics, who praised the film as the way a sequel should be made. The stakes were higher, and audiences were introduced to the underworld of crime that is only really hinted at in the first film. Chapter 2 almost always finds itself at the top of fans’ lists for best John Wick movie, and for good reason: at this point, we don’t need a character reintroduction, so it’s action-packed. .
2/5 Speed
20th century fox
Speed is often considered one of the best action movies of the 90s, and it would be impossible to disagree. Reeves stars with Sandra Bullock, who at the time was not an established Hollywood star, in this 1994 action thriller about a retired bomb squad member who plants a bomb on a city bus which will explode if the speed drops below 80 km/h. Reeves plays Jack, a Los Angeles cop tasked with his partner to catch the suicide bomber and save everyone on the bus with the help of Annie (Bullock), a normal woman who was on the bus that day- the. Very rarely will you find an action movie as simple as Speed, but one that will always keep you on the edge of your seat. It was also nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing, winning in the latter two categories.
1/5 The Matrix
Warner Bros.
Last but not least, The Matrix made movie history when it was released in 1999, written and directed by transgender sisters, Lana and Lilly Wachowskis, creating a turning point in Hollywood and society while touching on political theories and philosophical. He also exposed the simulation theory to a wide audience, which is still the subject of much speculation today.
