1. The John Wick Series
The most slick, suave, and well-dressed action saga of the recent past, John Wick epitomises the way to go in terms of fight choreography and straight up style. Apart from guns, suits, and epic dialogues, there’s also a bunch of cute dogs scattered through the movie. It’s the tale of a retired assassin getting back in the fold to dole out some revenge, and it’s a must watch.
2. The Matrix Trilogy
Perhaps the only films that can surpass the fashion statements of John Wick are the sleek billowing leather robes of The Matrix. This is the film that kickstarted it all for Keanu in a big way, and tells the story of a computer programmer/hacker who realises his entire reality is a construction – and well, you know the rest.
3. The Bill & Ted Movies
Before Keanu became a mega action star with a reputation for the sombre, he played the lovably goofy and consistently dopey Ted in the cult classic Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure all the way back in 1989. Bill and Ted are 2 high school slackers whose belief in the power of rock music supremely angers their parents. Unbeknownst to them all, it’s their music that might be the key to saving the world!
4. Constantine
Based on the DC Comics character, this film is a delightfully Gothic and suave telling of a tortured man with a range of powers that include talking to angels and random arguments with Satan. In this movie, he helps a policewoman prove her sister’s death was not a suicide. Don’t go by the reviews, people have accepted over the years that it was quite a special film at a time when generic cinema was being funnelled out by the truckloads.
5. The Devil’s Advocate
This supernatural thriller also starred Al Pacino and Charlize Theron, so you know it’s got some power behind it. Keanu plays a a skilled lawyer who gets a job at a high-end New York City law firm. However, he soon realises that his boss is more than just… well, human.
6. A Scanner Darkly
I can’t recommend this film enough – shot entirely in a rotoscope setting, this sci-fi thriller is the dark and deliciously depressing story of Bob, an undercover agent investigating the trade of a mysterious hallucinogenic drug. However, he himself becomes an addict in the process.
7. Speed
If you’re in the mood for some old-school, high-octane action, this film will scratch that itch. Even though it played 3 times a day on TV back in the day, enough time has passed that you can watch it again. It’s about Keanu and Sandra Bullock’s characters navigating a local bus that someone’s planted a bomb in – and if the bus slows down beyond a certain point, it goes boom.
8. Point Break
Another campy but entirely enjoyable action flick, this movie follows Keanu as an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates a group of surfers who are suspected of bank robberies. However, he forms a friendship with the gang’s leader, which complicates matters. The movie isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s attained something of a cult following.
9. Man of Tai Chi
This martial arts film was also Keanu’s directorial debut. It tells the story of a fighter who joins an illegal underground fight club in order to save his temple from being demolished. It’s Keanu, so you know solid action is a guarantee.
10. Sweet November
This romantic drama stars Keanu and Charlize Theron as a workaholic executive and a beguiling woman respectively who settle upon having a short-term relationship. They stay together through the month of November, and it’s a month that changes his life forever.
Keanu, ‘you’re breathtaking’!