With the 93rd Academy Awards around the corner, Keanu Reeves fans may remember his role at last year’s ceremony, presenting first-time Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho with the Best Original Screenplay honor for his black comedy “Parasite.” Although the 56-year-old actor has never been nominated for an Academy Award himself, it’s hard to imagine this notoriously nice guy being upset about handing the Oscar to this Korean filmmaker. In fact, it seems fitting that Reeves, who is part Hawaiian and part Chinese, would the award that many have touted as a win for Asian representation in cinema.
Although Reeves, known in Hollywood as a refreshingly humble introvert, seems to shy away from fame and money, his work has contributed to numerous box office hits including, all three films (so far) in the “Matrix” franchise.
From his breakthrough role as a goofy time-travelling teen in “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” through his roles as an action hero in films like “Speed” and the “John Wick,” Reeves has refused to be typecast. (These are the 23 best sci-fi movies about time travel.)
24/7 Tempo has ranked Keanu Reeves’ 25 best movies, based on an index of IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes ratings.
Click here to see Keanu Reeves’ best movies, ranked
Reeves is also set to star in “The Matrix 4,” reprising his role as Neo. Production of the film, also starring Priyanka Chopra and Carrie-Anne Moss, was stalled last spring due to the onset of the pandemic but resumed in the fall and is now scheduled for release in December 2022. These are 45 movies postponed due to the coronavirus.
25. Street Kings (2008)
> Fellow leads: Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans
> Director: David Ayer
> Domestic box office: $26.42 million
In this action thriller, Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, a jaded LAPD detective whose own corruption pales in comparison to the duplicity he discovers in the rest of the force.
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24. The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
> Fellow leads: Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
> Director: Lana Wachowski
> Domestic box office: $139.27 million
The third installment of the “Matrix” franchise features Reeves returning as Neo, a hero in suspended animation, caught in the war between man and machine.
23. The Neon Demon (2016)
> Fellow leads: Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks, Karl Glusman
> Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
> Domestic box office: $1.33 million
In this psychological horror film, Reeves plays Hank, an unsavory hotel manager whose cruelty in a young model’s dream may or may not be worse than his real life proclivities.
22. The Replacements (2000)
> Fellow leads: Gene Hackman, Brooke Langton, Orlando Jones
> Director: Howard Deutch
> Domestic box office: $44.74 million
Reeves stars in this sports comedy as Shane Falco, a former star quarterback whose quiet life on a houseboat is interrupted when he is recruited to scab for a pro football team during a strike.
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21. Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
> Fellow leads: Alex Winter, William Sadler, Joss Ackland
> Director: Peter Hewitt
> Domestic box office: $37.54 million
This sequel to “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” gives Reeves another turn as inept teenage musician Ted Logan, who this time must travel to heaven and hell to defeat his evil robot doppelgänger.
20. Hardball (2001)
> Fellow leads: Diane Lane, John Hawkes, Bryan Hearne
> Director: Brian Robbins
> Domestic box office: $40.22 million
Here, Reeves plays compulsive gambler Conor O’Neill, whose life may just change for the better when he takes on a youth baseball coaching gig to pay off his debts.
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19. The Lake House (2006)
> Fellow leads: Sandra Bullock, Christopher Plummer, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
> Director: Alejandro Agresti
> Domestic box office: $52.33 million
In this sci-fi romance, Reeves plays Alex Wyler, an architect who finds a letter from a woman living two years in the future.
18. Man of Tai Chi (2013)
> Fellow leads: Tiger Hu Chen, Karen Mok, Hai Yu
> Director: Keanu Reeves
> Domestic box office: $100,000
In his directorial debut, Reeves plays antagonist Donaka Mark, a powerful businessman who runs an underground fighting ring.
17. A Walk in the Clouds (1995)
> Fellow leads: Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Anthony Quinn, Giancarlo Giannini
> Director: Alfonso Arau
> Domestic box office: $50.01 million
This romantic drama features Reeves as Paul Sutton, a World War II soldier who returns home to a strained marriage and attempts to help a pregnant college student keep her honor.
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16. Constantine (2005)
> Fellow leads: Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou, Shia LaBeouf
> Director: Francis Lawrence
> Domestic box office: $75.98 million
In this superhero horror film based on DC Comics’ “Hellblazer” series, Reeves plays John Constantine, a detective with the ability to identify half-breed angels and demons on earth.
15. Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
> Fellow leads: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Amanda Peet
> Director: Nancy Meyers
> Domestic box office: $124.69 million
In this romantic comedy, Reeves plays Julian Mercer, a doctor who falls for a successful playwright who is 20 years his senior.
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14. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
> Fellow leads: Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Rory Cochrane
> Director: Richard Linklater
> Domestic box office: $5.50 million
Reeves voices undercover agent Bob Arctor, who becomes addicted to the powerful hallucinogenic drug he is investigating, in this animated sci-fi thriller.
13. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
> Fellow leads: Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
> Director: Lana Wachowski
> Domestic box office: $281.55 million
In a sequel to “The Matrix,” Reeves plays Neo, also known as The One, who must make a difficult choice that will determine the future of mankind.
12. The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
> Fellow leads: Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones
> Director: Taylor Hackford
> Domestic box office: $61.01 million
In this supernatural horror film, Reeves plays lawyer Kevin Lomax, who rises through the ranks at a prominent law firm only to realize that his boss may actually be the Devil.
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11. Point Break (1991)
> Fellow leads: Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, Lori Petty
> Director: Kathryn Bigelow
> Domestic box office: $43.22 million
In this crime/action film, Reeves plays Johnny Utah, an undercover FBI agent who gets too close to a gang of surfers he’s investigating for bank robbery.
10. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
> Fellow leads: Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri
> Director: Stephen Herek
> Domestic box office: $40.49 million
Reeves stars as time-travelling high school student Ted Logan, who must pass his history class to ensure a future utopian society.
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9. My Own Private Idaho (1991)
> Fellow leads: River Phoenix, James Russo, William Richert
> Director: Gus Van Sant
> Domestic box office: $6.40 million
This indie cult classic features Reeves as Scott Favor, a young street hustler who accompanies his best friend Mike on a journey to find his mother.
8. The Gift (2000)
> Fellow leads: Cate Blanchett, Katie Holmes, Giovanni Ribisi
> Director: Sam Raimi
> Domestic box office: $12.01 million
In this supernatural thriller, Reeves plays Donnie Barksdale, an abusive husband and murder suspect, who insists that a local clairvoyant is a witch.
7. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
> Fellow leads: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Kate Beckinsale
> Director: Kenneth Branagh
> Domestic box office: $22.55 million
Reeves portrays Don John, brother of the prince and relentless ne’er do well, in this adaptation of the famed Shakespeare comedy.
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6. John Wick (2014)
> Fellow leads: Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe
> Director: Chad Stahelski
> Domestic box office: $43.04 million
This neo-noir action film stars Reeves as John Wick, a retired assassin who feels he has no choice but to seek revenge on the men who stole his car and killed his dog.
5. Speed (1994)
> Fellow leads: Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton
> Director: Jan de Bont
> Domestic box office: $121.25 million
In this action thriller, Reeves plays LAPD officer Jack Traven, who is tasked with defusing a bomb aboard a speeding bus.
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4. Dracula (1992)
> Fellow leads: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins
> Director: Francis Ford Coppola
> Domestic box office: $82.52 million
This horror film gives Reeves the role of Jonathan Harker, a solicitor whose fiancée may actually be the reincarnation of Dracula’s dead wife.
3. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
> Fellow leads: Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne
> Director: Chad Stahelski
> Domestic box office: $171.02 million
Assassin John Wick is back in the third installment of the series, opposing a world-wide crime ring and narrowly escaping death at every turn.
2. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
> Fellow leads: Riccardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose
> Director: Chad Stahelski
> Domestic box office: $92.03 million
In his second “John Wick” outing, Reeves, as a retired assassin, is forced back into the trade to repay an old debt.
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1. The Matrix (1999)
> Fellow leads: Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
> Director: Lana Wachowski
> Domestic box office: $173.40 million
In this sci-fi action film, Reeves stars as Thomas Anderson, aka Neo, a computer programmer and hacker who discovers that the world he knows is only a simulation.
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