Every Keanu Reeves Action Movie, Ranked Worst to Best
Although the current generation knows him as John Wick, older fans know that iconic actor Keanu Reeves has starred in other action movie franchises as well, as early as the 1990s.
From working alongside Kathryn Bigelow in Point Break to hunting demons as John Constantine in Constantine, Reeves has left his mark as an action movie star long before his trip to The Continental. As we take a walk down memory lane, here’s every Keanu Reeves action movie, ranked from worst to best.
17 Replicas
Released in 2019 and starring Keanu Reeves in the lead role, Replicas is a sci-fi thriller. With his entire family dying in a car accident, a scientist becomes obsessed with bringing them back to life.
Having sparse action scenes and an incoherent and poorly executed plot, Replicas is considered Keanu Reeves’ worst movie of his career, also making it his worst action movie on this list.
| Key Facts About: | Replicas |
| Directed By: | Jeffrey Nachmanoff |
| Cast: | Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, John Ortiz |
| Release Date: | January 11, 2019 |
| IMDb Rating: | 5.5/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 9% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $9.3 million |
| Production House: | Riverstone Pictures |
| Where to Watch: | Prime Video |
16 47 Ronin
A role that came before he became Baba Yaga with John Wick, 47 Ronin is a medieval action/fantasy flick that was released to commercial and critical disappointment back in 2013.
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Starring Keanu Reeves as Kai, the film’s overt usage of CGI undervalues the martial arts of the film, making the action feel muddied with generic visual elements. Naturally, 47 Ronin is the second-worst Keanu Reeves action movie of his career.
15 The Matrix Resurrections
Although it was supposed to be an epic flick and a grand conclusion to an awesome trilogy, The Matrix Resurrections remained a critical failure and often the worst part of The Matrix franchise.
Despite Reeves reprising his role as Neo, fans felt the trilogy lacked anything ‘new’ or ‘original’ in its action scenes, making it not the best Keanu Reeves flick to rewatch.
| Key Facts About: | The Matrix Resurrections |
| Directed By: | Lana Wachowski |
| Cast: | Jessica Henwick, Keanu Reeves, Hugo Weaving |
| Release Date: | December 22, 2021 |
| IMDb Rating: | 5.6/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 63% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $157 million |
| Production House: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Where to Watch: | Apple TV |
14 Johnny Mnemonic
Released in 1995, Johnny Mnemonic is a less-famous Keanu Reeves movie that many people might not know about. With Reeves being a data courier who literally carries data packages in his brain, he carries a package too large for his brain to handle and must deliver it before time ends.
With a weird storyline and clunky dialogue with an uneven storyline, Johnny Mnemonic was indeed a failure when it was released, making it the 4th-worst Keanu Reeves film of his career.
13 Chain Reaction
A suspense/thriller of the 90s, Keanu Reeves’ Eddie and Rachel Weisz’s Lily become murder suspects when a scientist at the University of Chicago is murdered, and another disappears.
Despite a strong premise, the film has the classic ’90s chase sequences. Although it has some solid action scenes, it does lack the originality that is typical of Keanu Reeves’ other action films.
| Key Facts About: | Chain Reaction |
| Directed By: | Andrew Davis |
| Cast: | Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, Rachel Weisz |
| Release Date: | August 2, 1996 |
| IMDb Rating: | 5.7/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 18% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $60 million |
| Production House: | The Zanuck Company |
| Where to Watch: | Apple TV |
12 The Matrix Revolutions
A film too ambitious for its own good, The Matrix Revolutions was released in 2003 and remains the lowest-rated movie in the original Matrix trilogy. Although it was supposed to be the conclusion of the storyline, they clearly messed it up.
The intimate and close-up martial art fights with iconic cinematography were dumped for massive over-the-top CGI fight scenes and sequences, which made the film an outcast from the Matrix trilogy.
| Key Facts About: | The Matrix Revolutions |
| Directed By: | Lana & Lily Wachowski |
| Cast: | Keanu Reeves, Jada Pinkett Smith, Hugo Weaving |
| Release Date: | October 27, 2003 |
| IMDb Rating: | 6.7/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 33% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $427 million |
| Production House: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Where to Watch: | Philo |
11 Street Kings
A star-studded film that questioned loyalty, trust, and self-doubt, Street Kings was indeed an iconic Keanu Reeves film released in 2008. Directed by David Ayer (who infamously directed Suicide Squad), the film is grounded, gritty, and intense.
Although the action is somewhat good, the only flaw that remains with this story is that it is very predictable and cliché, making it a boring watch if you have already figured out the plot.
10 Man of Tai Chi
The directorial debut of Keanu Reeves, Man of Tai Chi, was indeed praised for its action sequences and stunts. However, fans didn’t appreciate Reeves’ role as the antagonist.
Although grounded and gritty, Man of Tai Chi‘s limited release didn’t exactly help the film’s case either, making it the 10th-best Keanu Reeves action movie of all time.
9 Constantine
A highly underappreciated film, Constantine is now a cult-classic movie from Reeves. Combining supernatural horror with noir detective work and stylized action, Constantine is truly a movie that simply cannot be replicated.
With the film delving into several genres, critics have often argued that Constantine cannot exactly be considered an action film, making it the 8th-best Keanu Reeves movie in terms of the action genre.
| Key Facts About: | Constantine |
| Directed By: | Francis Lawrence |
| Cast: | Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Peter Stormare |
| Release Date: | February 18, 2005 |
| IMDb Rating: | 7/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 46% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $230 million |
| Production House: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Where to Watch: | Apple TV |
8 The Matrix Reloaded
Being the sequel to the original The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded was bigger, broader, and grander than its predecessor in almost everything. From the action scenes to the usage of CGI for creating some iconic sequences, The Matrix Reloaded was simply iconic.
The only problem that critics and fans agreed upon was that the plot became overtly complex as the movie progressed, and the CGI does look a bit outdated today.
| Key Facts About: | The Matrix Reloaded |
| Directed By: | Lana & Lily Wachowski |
| Cast: | Keanu Reeves, Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci |
| Release Date: | May 15, 2003 |
| IMDb Rating: | 7.2/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 74% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $739 million |
| Production House: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Where to Watch: | Philo |
7 Point Break
A genre-defining movie by acclaimed director Kathryn Bigelow and starring Keanu Reeves in the lead role, Point Break is an iconic film that proved Reeves’ worthiness as a leading man.
Released in 1991, the film proved to be one of the finest movies that the world had ever seen. Although marvelous with spectacular stunt sequences, it lacked some of the notable ‘action’ scenes that Reeves did later on in his career.
6 John Wick
The film that started it all, John Wick, was the one that started the mythos of the Baba Yaga. Starring Keanu Reeves in the leading role, John Wick was a wild ride from start to finish.
The only reason that the 2014 film is the 6th-best on this list is that the sequels just amplified the action and almost everything.
| Key Facts About: | John Wick |
| Directed By: | Chad Stahelski |
| Cast: | Keanu Reeves, Alfie Allen. Ian McShane |
| Release Date: | October 24, 2014 |
| IMDb Rating: | 7.5/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 86% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $86 million |
| Production House: | Thunder Road Pictures |
| Where to Watch: | YouTube TV |
5 John Wick: Chapter 2
With a bounty on his head and going off to Italy to pay off a blood debt, John Wick: Chapter 2 expanded on the lore of hitmen and assassins. From establishing The Continental to Markers, the sequel clearly surpassed the original.
John Wick: Chapter 2 featured some iconic “gun-fu” sequences with an even more relentless approach, making it the 5th-best Keanu Reeves movie in terms of action.
| Key Facts About: | John Wick: Chapter 2 |
| Directed By: | Chad Stahelski |
| Cast: | Keanu Reeves, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick |
| Release Date: | February 10, 2017 |
| IMDb Rating: | 7.4/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 89% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $171 million |
| Production House: | Summit Entertainment |
| Where to Watch: | YouTube TV |
4 John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
The third film in the iconic franchise, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, ups the stakes with a more powerful approach than the previous two films. Although following the storyline, John Wick finds help from several allies.
With John Wick being excommunicado and a severe bounty on his head, Wick seeks help to save himself from bounty hunters and mercenaries. The final sequences with gun-fu action and Ian McShane’s betrayal make it *chef’s kiss*.
| Key Facts About: | John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum |
| Directed By: | Chad Stahelski |
| Cast: | Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne |
| Release Date: | May 17, 2019 |
| IMDb Rating: | 7.4/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 89% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $327 million |
| Production House: | Summit Entertainment |
| Where to Watch: | YouTube TV |
3 Speed
Another flick that made Keanu Reeves a household name was Speed. Starring alongside Sandra Bullock, Speed literally felt like Die Hard on a bus, with relentless action scenes.
Being one of the classics of the ’90s, Speed had plenty of action scenes, but more on that, it relied on the tension of the storyline, making it the 3rd-best Keanu Reeves action movie of all time.
2 John Wick: Chapter 4
With ever-increasing stakes and an immense bounty on his head, John Wick takes the fight to the global High Table for a chance at living again and having his redemption.
From New York to Paris to Japan to Berlin, John Wick travels all over the world to exact his revenge and have his chance of beating the High Table. Although he does achieve victory, it comes at a high cost. The action is relentless, fast-paced, and unique, continuing the John Wick tradition.
| Key Facts About: | John Wick: Chapter 4 |
| Directed By: | Chad Stahelski |
| Cast: | Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins |
| Release Date: | March 24, 2023 |
| IMDb Rating: | 7.6/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 94% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $447 million |
| Production House: | Summit Entertainment |
| Where to Watch: | YouTube TV |
1 The Matrix
Finally, last but not least, the best action movie starring Keanu Reeves is undoubtedly The Matrix. Released in 1999, the film changed Hollywood for good with some iconic moments, sequences, and its storyline.
With its blend of philosophy, wire-fu, and groundbreaking “bullet-time” special effects, The Matrix is easily Keanu Reeves’ best action movie ever made, and The Matrix deserves all the respect it can get.
| Key Facts About: | The Matrix |
| Directed By: | Lilly & Lana Wachowski |
| Cast: | Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne |
| Release Date: | March 31, 1999 |
| IMDb Rating: | 8.7/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 83% |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $463 million |
| Production House: | Silver Pictures |
| Where to Watch: | AMC+ |
Which one, according to you, is the best Keanu Reeves action movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
