“Some enjoy it. Some do not.” John Constantine declares this regarding God in the 2005 movie, but it could just as well serve to encapsulate Keanu Reeves’ film career fearless, quirky, and unabashedly unique. Forty years in, Reeves has become from friendly slacker to virtual messiah to action icon, all while being awarded a career that will not be bound.
What makes his career so great isn’t really the box office figures or the pop culture moments (though there are numerous). It’s how every decade showed him a role that didn’t merely typify the era for him, but also left a lasting impact on cinema. From cult comedies to genre-twisting sci-fi, supernatural noir, and balletic gun-fu, Reeves has consistently chosen films that still resonate long after their release dates.
Here is a decade-by-decade overview of the roles that shaped his life, transcended genres, and cemented him as one of Hollywood’s all-time greatest and most-beloved actors.
1. 1980s – Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Life was fine for Ted “Theodore” Logan guitar-playing high school student with more enthusiasm than brains before Keanu Reeves became synonymous with trench coats and bullet time. With Bill, played by Alex Winter, Ted embarks on a time-traveling quest to pass a presentation on history, meeting everyone from Socrates to Abraham Lincoln.
The charm of the film lies in its lighthearted positivism and Reeves’ success in playing the clueless-but-likeable everyman. It was not just a teen comedy become cult film, with franchises decades later and inspiring a generation to the idea that “be excellent to each other” was a life philosophy. This breakout role established Reeves as capable of carrying a film with heart and sense of humor, something he would then expand on later.
2. 1990s – The Matrix (1999)
Reeves had already tried action in Point Break and Speed by the late ’90s, but The Matrix was a seismic shift. As Neo, he entered a dystopian cyberpunk world where reality was simulated and humanity’s freedom was threatened. The Wachowskis’ idea married martial arts, philosophy, and new visual effects like “bullet time,” transforming the language of action cinema.
Beyond the spectacle, multicultural cast and multilayered characters Morpheus as steady mentor figure, Trinity as militant liberator, the Oracle as more subtle radical mentor gave it cultural relevance. Neo’s evolution from alienated hacker to humanity’s messiah became an urban myth, and Reeves’ understated intensity made it unforgettable.
3. 2000s – Constantine (2005)
In a decade ruled by safe, formulaic superhero movies, Reeves’ stint as John Constantine was something different. This chain-smoking, world-weary exorcist crawled through a noir-drenched Los Angeles in which half-angels and half-demons inhabited our midst. Critics were indifferent, and comic book purists rebelled against departures from the source material, but Constantine eventually gained cult status for its odd, uncompromising tone.
From the androgynous Gabriel of Tilda Swinton to the unforgettable Lucifer of Peter Stormare, the film embraced its strangeness unironically. It approached themes of spirituality, morality, and hell with deadpan cool that only Reeves could muster. With comic book films playing it safe in the past, Constantine played it straight, and for that, it remains with us.
4. 2010s – John Wick (2014)
When John Wick exploded onto the scene, the US action landscape was wallowing in shaky-cam madness. Reeves, working with ex-stuntmen-turned-directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, flipped the script on its head. The story is simple: a retired hitman killing his dog, a valedictory present from his dead wife. But the execution was not.
The prolonged takes, overt choreography, and meticulous world-building all came together to render the film a revelation. The Continental, gold money, and assassin codes gave the revenge saga fresh mythology. Reeves’ stoic yet affecting performance made Wick an instant icon, fanning out a franchise that begat a generation of more realistic, visually distinguishable action movies.
5. 2020s – John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Nearly a decade after the first film, the Wick franchise came to its most epic chapter to date. Chapter 4 took the series global, from neon-lit Osaka to the Arc de Triomphe, blending martial arts and grand operatic drama. The arrival of action legends Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins brought the choreography to hitherto unseen heights.
What is notable is how the franchise has gotten stronger with each sequel a Hollywood anomaly. By this time, folks were familiar with Wick’s netherworld and therefore the betrayals, the allegiances, and the showdowns had a greater resonance. It cemented Reeves as an action legend of our times, proving that at 50-plus, he was still forging the genre he helped invent.
Across four decades, Keanu Reeves has shown that career longevity is not following trends but selecting projects that resonate with you, challenge you, and sometimes even perplex you. From the heartfelt silliness of Ted to the metaphysical weight of Neo, the dark Gothic gravity of Constantine, and the balletic rage of John Wick, each decade produced a performance that stretched his legacy. For movie enthusiasts, his filmography isn’t a timeline it’s an exhibit of the alchemy of resurrection and the agelessness of a star who resisted rules.
