Whether you think he's the quintessential big-screen idol or one of the worst actors in the world, you have to admit that Keanu Reeves has been a part of some pretty amazing action scenes. Even in his less-than-stellar movies, the action sequences are often impressive, which is a testament to both the filmmakers' skills and Reeves's ability to expertly navigate the scenes and make complex movements look effortless.
In Reeves's most excellent movies, these scenes only add further color, texture, and excitement to the overall story, often becoming the climactic moments of already-thrilling tales. In most scenarios, Reeves's character walks away victorious, so it's hard to watch him work without saying, "Yes, sometimes the good guy really does win."
The climactic nightclub fight scene in John Wick is one of the gnarliest, most realistic action movie moments of all time. Wick fights his way through the Red Circle nightclub looking for a Russian villain.
The fight is neither easy nor pretty, and though he emerges intact, we're reminded Wick is still human.
One of the first action sequences in John Wick involves Reeves facing off against 20 masked home invaders. He proceeds to take them all on at once, looking really cool in the process.
Though Reeves was 50 years old when this scene was filmed, he showcases the athleticism and agility of a 20-year-old.
In John Wick: Chapter 2, Reeves returns to full Wick form in the pencil scene. In the first John Wick, we learn that the title character once took out three men with a pencil. In John Wick: Chapter 2, we see just how that happened.
The action-packed sequence is thrilling, bloody, and bloody thrilling.
In Constantine, the towering biblical themes explored throughout the film come to a head in the final scene. But this scene is less of a traditional action sequence and more of an internal movement that brings the characters closer to their fates. Constantine faces off against the Devil; however, it's not so much a physical conflict as it is a battle of wits and of wills.
It's also a thrilling reminder that underdogs can emerge triumphant, even in the face of the most threatening villains.
The Matrix is brimming with edge-of-your-seat action that challenges and transcends all we've come to know and expect from the sci-fi genre. The movie popularized a technique called bullet time, a visual effect that represents the perceptions of specific characters by slowing down certain action elements while the rest of the scene continues to play out at normal speed.
The first instance of this is nothing short of jaw-dropping, and Reeves gives the moment its pulsing life.
In Point Break, Reeves plays FBI agent Johnny Utah, a young officer tasked with ending a string of bank heists committed by a feared group called the Ex-Presidents. After staking out a bank, Reeves finally comes face-to-face with the bad guys.
