Keanu Reevesis widely known for beinga kind and generous dude. His humility is unprecedented in the industry, and the fact that he’s made a solid return to film makes him one of today’s most important and sought-after actors. What’s better is that he seems to enjoy every movie he makes these days, and he doesn’t overwork himself. He’s just a regular guy with a familiar face who happens to be very good at action — and is very loved by his fans.
This means that making a list of the best performances by Keanu Reeves isn’t exactly difficult. He’s racked up a ton of excellent roles as memorable characters who have embedded themselves in popular culture. Even a die-hard Reeves fan will probably be surprised at how many good performances he’s had — and here are his ten best, ranked.
10A Walk in the Clouds (1995)
Alfonso Arau’sA Walk in the Cloudsis a lovely romantic film about a former military soldier who finds love in the most improbable of places. After returning from war, Paul Sutton can’t seem to connect with his wife. He goes on the road to become a candy salesman again and meets Victoria Aragons, a pregnant woman who’s distressed about coming home unwed to a very conservative family. Sutton offers to play her husband, and then leave, so that the welcome is not so bad, and the fault doesn’t fall exactly on her. Want to guess what actually happens?
Why It Makes the List
Fresh off the action success that wasSpeed, Reeves gives life to a much more sober character in Arau’s film. Reeves is very restrained as Paul Sutton, following every rule to the smallest detail, and ends up portraying a man who inevitably falls in love with a woman and with the cozy tradition that his “new family” shows him. This beautiful film isshot by Emmanuel Lubezki, who was the cinematographer for such gems asThe Revenant,Gravity, andBirdman.
RentA Walk in the Cloudson Prime Video
9Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journeyis the sequel toBill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, featuring once again the two goofy rockers Bill and Ted playing the same dudestrying to make it big as a bandin their boring reality after having rocked with legends. However, a villain from the future sends two robotic versions of the dudes back in time to kill them in this fantastic and epic comedy film.
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This is one of Reeves' signature characters, and in part two of the franchise, he does his best version of Ted “Theodore” Logan. Sure, he’s a doofus and a lousy musician, but everything Ted does, he does with heart and kindness towards his best friend. Reeves' rendering of the idea of Ted is perfect, and there’s no better actor in this world to deliver the word “dude.”
StreamBill & Ted’s Bogus Journeyon AMC+
8Speed (1994)
In the 1994 action filmSpeed, Reeves gives life to LAPD officer Jack Traven as he finds himself in the middle of a very peculiar terrorist attack: there’s a bomb on a city bus, and the bus must stay above 50 miles per hour, or it will blow up. Needless to say, the bus is filled with passengers, and Traven must find a way to disable the device or get them off the moving death trap.
Keanu opened the door to his career as an action star in 1994 with his portrayal of the cop in Jan de Bont’s tension-packed movie. His chemistry with Sandra Bullock is notable and electric, and the physicality he contributes when portraying Jack Traven is spot on. This was a very big jump for Reeves, as it put him out there as an mature actor after his role as the much younger surfer dude Johnny Utah inPoint Break.How this one hasn’t made a comebackis mind-blowing.
StreamSpeedon The Roku Channel
7John Wick (2014)
John Wickgave audiences back the Keanu they loved: strong, gruffy, and angry. In the film, he plays a retired legendary contract killer in a sea of contract killers. The thing is,after his puppy gets killedduring a home invasion, the whole world meets the man behind the legend — and he’s pissed.
The film launched a wildly successful franchise, and Reeves was suddenly back in the spotlight after a much-deserved hiatus in which he was only seen playing with his band and in memes. InJohn Wickhe cleverly portrays a quiet killer whose awakening calls for violence. In a few words, there’s no one better than Reeves for this kind of action role.
StreamJohn Wickon Peacock
6The Lake House (2006)
The Lake House
Bullock and Reeves reunited inThe Lake Houseand delivered asad and romantic filmwhose winks at the supernatural are very effective, but remain secondary to what’s essentially a compelling story about two souls connected through time. In the film, Kate and Alex communicate with each other. But it’s not through a common channel; they talk through letters they put in the mailbox of a lake house in their own respective timelines.
In 2006, Reeves was about to enter a period of obscurity and estrangement from the Hollywood scene. InThe Lake House, he plays a very misunderstood character whose simplicity and calmness are often mistaken for an inability to act. However, this is one of his most noteworthy performances in the romantic spectrum of his career.
RentThe Lake Houseon Prime Video
5The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
The Devil’s Advocate
The Devil’s Advocatetells the story of Kevin Lomax, a young and successful attorney who gets the opportunity of a lifetime when a law firm signs him up to work in high-profile cases. As it turns out, the firm’s owner is a ruthless man who’s associated with Lomax’s past and is, of course, the Devil himself.
InThe Devil’s Advocate, Reeves stars alongside Hollywood legend Al Pacino. He does his true best to add the dramatic gravity his role needs, and stands beside Pacino’s as a worthy counterpoint. It’s one of his most notable roles outside franchises, and due to the understated aspect of his performance in such an irrational setting, he ends up portraying one of his most underrated characters.
StreamThe Devil’s Advocateon Tubi
4My Own Private Idaho (1991)
My Own Private Idaho
Gus Van Sant’sMy Own Private Idahotells the story of two young hustlers who find friendship is not easy to hold as they embark on a personal journey from working in the streets of Portland to finding self-realization in the strangest and most dangerous of places. Reeves andhis best friend River Phoenixplay the two leads in thishighly-underrated queer film.
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My Own Private Idahois Reeves' most notable film of the earliest part of his career. This is the film that puts to shame every one of those arguments where Reeves is painted out to be a lousy actor who never got the lessons he needed. Scott Favor is one of the best characters he ever portrayed and probably his most underrated performance.
StreamMy Own Private Idahoon Kanopy
3The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix
The Matrixtells the story of Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer and hacker who finds the truth about our realm: we are living in a virtual simulation and humans are massively bred as an energy source for the machines that have taken over Earth. Anderson, also known as Neo, plays a key role in the rebellion against the machines.
Neo was Reeves' pivotal jump to being a star in the early 2000s.The Matrixwasa groundbreaking action-packed sci-fi filmwith a story that went beyond simple genre tropes. To lead such an adventure, Reeves became a masterful action icon, and the role is often considered the most important performance for his career. In a movie with a huge fantasy element, Reeves' performance is grounded, sober, and very dramatic.
StreamThe Matrixon Max
2Constantine (2005)
Constantine
Constantineis one of Reeves' most notable films that features him in a role that, unfortunately,has never been revisited. He plays the titular John Constantine, a chain-smoking exorcist with an uncanny ability to see angels and demons in their earthly forms, and to travel between Hell and Earth.
The superhero horror film turned into a cult hit over the years and features Reeves in his best performance in a high-profile film, with his closest approach to the superhero universe. Reeves’s version of Constantine is very faithful to the graphic novel that inspired the movie: pessimistic, dark-natured, and gloomy.
StreamConstantineon Prime Video
1The Gift (2000)
Sam Raimi’s underrated horror thrillerThe Gifttells the story of a widowed mother who works as a psychic in a very small town. The town holds very dark secrets, and Annie Wilson knows a thing or two about everyone. After a young woman is murdered, Wilson’s psychic power lights up with visions, and she starts getting spooked by something from another realm. Reeves plays an abusive husband who waves every possible red flag as a potential suspect.
Curiously, Reeves' best performance of his entire career is that of a very bad guy. His screen time as Donnie Barksdale is short, but it’s enough for him to cause pure fear in the audience and the characters who feel Donnie is about to blow up every single time he shows up. His best performance ever is exceptional enough that it may make a fan out of any Reeves skeptic out there — if any still exist.
StreamThe Gifton Prime Video or Paramount+
