Keanu Reeves has had a long and varied career playing in various genres and character archetypes. From the easy-going chill vibes of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure to the high-stakes action of the John Wick franchise, there’s no limit to the range of Reeves’ filmography.
With the recently released John Wick: Chapter 4, Reeves continues his luxurious and beloved career with another sure-to-be classic in this repertoire of action films. His films have been largely beloved and accepted by audiences over the years, with a number of high-ranking and highly beloved films he’s had a part in. IMDb especially is one platform where the love for Keanu and his films is absolutely unmatched.
10 ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ (1993)
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Based on the classic Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing is the story of a soon-to-be-wed couple plotting to use their wedding to bring two people together. Although at the same time, the mischievous Don John, twin to the groom’s commanding officer Don Pedro (played by Denzel Washington) is scheming to ruin the wedding entirely.
Reeves plays Don John, the man attempting to stop the wedding by ruining the honor of the bride. He works alongside his men Borachio and Conrade (played by Gerard Horan and Richard Clifford) in order to accomplish this task. In the end, he does not succeed in this task, and in his attempt to escape the wedding, he is captured and taken prisoner instead.
9 ‘Speed’ (1994)
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Speed is one of the most highly regarded and most remembered action films of the 90s. The simple premise of a public transit bus rigged with a bomb that will go off if the bus goes below 50mph has had audiences returning to this film again and again. While the film takes a lot of inspiration from other action films like Die Hard, it also sets itself apart from other 90s action flicks, and the lead performance from Keanu is a big reason why.
Reeves’ leading role in this film is that of LA SWAT cop Jack Traven, the man on the inside of the bus doing all that he can to keep the passengers safe and sound. While not his first foray into the action genre, Speed was pretty early on in Reeves’ turn toward being an action-movie superstar.
8 ‘Dracula’ (1992)
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Based on the classic Bram Stoker novel, 1992’s Draculais world-famous director Francis Ford Coppola‘s take on the classic gothic monster story. With an all-star cast including legends such as Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins, Coppola’s rendition of Dracula is equal parts high art as it is rooted in 90s camp. The film was beloved enough on release for it to win 3 Academy Awards for costume design, sound effects, and makeup.
Reeves in the film joins the lineage of many famous actors before and since to portray the classic character of Johnathan Harker. Harker in this film follows closely to his role in the novel, a solicitor who visits Dracula’s home and accidentally sets the events of the film into action and is soon taken prisoner in Dracula’s abode.
7 ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ (2017)
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
The second installment in the beloved John Wick franchise, John Wick: Chapter 2 follows John Wick after he is forced out of retirement to help a friend take over a shadowy assassin’s guild. While the original film was created without knowing it would become a franchise, Chapter 2 was able to lay the groundwork and prove to audiences that John Wick could work in a franchise setting.
Reeves’ is able to add to what was already established in the first John Wick throughout the majority of the follow-up. He is definitely the highlight for many fans not only of this film in specific but the entire John Wick franchise as a whole.
6 ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ (2019)
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum continues the storyline immediately after the second film, with John Wick on the run with a massive bounty looming over his head. John is forced to cash in all the goodwill and favors he has accrued over the years so that he has a chance to fight his way out of New York City.
By this third film in the franchise, audiences have understood and appreciated Reeves approach and intricacies to the John Wick character. This prior knowledge only adds to the premise as we see it play out, as we see Reeves in constant turmoil, yet able to scrape his way to the other side with mesmerizing action and skill.
5 ‘John Wick’ (2014)
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
The original film in the franchise, John Wick acted as the first introduction to both the world and the character of John Wick. Before the massive world-building and multitude of characters, audiences were enthralled by the simple premise of an ex-hitman getting revenge for the death of his beloved dog.
While Reeves had definitely been in action movies before this, the original John Wick is what really put him back in the spotlight for audiences as an action superstar. His masterful stunt work and commitment to the action in this film are definitely one of the major causes of his resurgence as a superstar in recent years.
4 ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ (1997)
IMDb Score: 7.5/10
The Devil’s Advocate is a supernatural thriller film that follows defense attorney Kevin Lomax and the unusual difficulties he faces after accepting to defend a new client. The film features a highly talented cast featuring not only Reeves, but also the likes of Al Pacino and Charlize Theron.
Reeves plays the main character of the film, Kevin Lomax, who starts the film as a sleazy defense lawyer who will defend just about anyone but ends the film finding the limit of his morals. Horror is overall a genre that Reeves has only rarely starred in from time to time, but his performance in this (as well as the previously mentioned Dracula) shows that he has the acting strengths needed for this outside-of-the-wheelhouse genre.
3 ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ (1988)
IMDb Score: 7.6/10
Based on the classic French novel, 1988’s Dangerous Liaisons is an 18th-century period piece of romantic betrayal and deception. The Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil (played by Glenn Close) requests her ex-lover Vicomte de Valmont (played by John Malkovich) to seduce the fiancée of another one of her ex-lovers.
Reeves’ role in the film is that of Le Chevalier Raphael Danceny, the other ex-lover of Merteuil whose fiancée, Cecile de Volanges (played by Uma Therman) is trying to be courted by Valmont. While this isn’t the only time Reeves has taken the role of the rival male in a love triangle, this film takes place early enough in his career that it plays into his youth as opposed to how he’s usually played as a silver fox.
2 ‘Toy Story 4’ (2019)
IMDb Score: 7.7/10
The latest film in the Toy Story franchise, Toy Story 4 follows Woody, Buzz, and all the other toys under the supervision of their relatively new kid, Bonnie. After Bonnie has a new favorite toy, Forky, it takes a road trip adventure for Woody to gain a new perspective on his role in the world.
Reeves plays a comedic side character introduced in Toy Story 4 known as Duke Caboom. He is a Canadian stunt bike toy who Woody and Bo Peep inquire to help them perform an escape jump in order to save Forky. The role of Duke Caboom is one of the rare animated voice acting roles from Keanu Reeves, and it helps show that his enigmatic and recognizable voice can be a source for a lot of comedic moments.
1 ‘The Matrix’ (1999)
IMDb Score: 8.7/10
The Matrix is one of the most influential, highly acclaimed, and recognizable sci-fi action films of the last 25 years. The film’s premise is about the entire world as we know it as a simulation and the underground group of rebels fighting on behalf of humanity. It has an unprecedented legacy that still has its effects so many years later, and it is highly regarded among IMDb’s userbase, earning it a spot as the #16 highest-rated movie of all time.
Reeves was already a star before his role as Neo in The Matrix, but this is the film that truly cemented him as one of the great action movie stars of all time. His evolution and growth as Neo from the reluctant and scared Thomas Anderson into the chosen one of his world is one that is equally compelling as it is aspirational. Even aside from the divided reception of the other Matrix films, the original Matrix holds strong as one of the most beloved and iconic films of all time, thanks in part to the hard work of Keanu Reeves.
