The 18 films Keanu Reeves personally recommends you watch
Keanu Reeves has enjoyed a modern revival like no other in contemporary cinema, largely thanks to his groundbreaking role as the titular character of the action film John Wick in 2014. Playing the loveable hitman seeking revenge for his murdered dog, Reeves followed up this popular performance with two sequels and similarly successful projects including Bill & Ted Face the Music and even the videogame Cyberpunk 2077.
He has since become one of the most popular and beloved contemporary movie stars, with his famously kind persona acting as the perfect contrast to his often outrageous action star personas. Operating from within the bubble of Hollywood, Reeves also operates on the fringes of the industry, being as much a fan of film as he is one of the most beloved actors of modern cinema.
Revealing his list of 18 films he recommends every film fan watch, Reeves recently spoke to Esquire and disclosed a collection of movies he’d been keeping on his phone, going through years of texts in order to find the coveted list.
Containing movie recommendations collected between friends, fellow Matrix actor Carrie-Anne Moss once asked for some of his favourite films that she could watch with her kids, prompting Reeves to send her the collection of movies across.
As Moss told the magazine, “it seems like a little thing, but he’s so busy, he’s exhausted, and took the time to write this very, very thoughtful list”. Considering the actor’s affable nature, we’re not all to surprised, but there’s still something so cherishable about sending a list of must-see movies to a friend.
Filled with old movie classics and surprise contemporary gems, take a look at Keanu Reeves’ list of personally recommended movies, below.
The 18 films Keanu Reeves personally recommends:
- Amadeus (Miloš Forman, 1984)
- The Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2016)
- The Big Lebowski (the Coen brothers, 1998)
- Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974)
- A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
- Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
- The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981)
- La Femme Nikita (Luc Besson, 1990)
- The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016)
- Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (George Miller, 1982)
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, 1975)
- The Outlaw Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood, 1976)
- Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994)
- Raising Arizona (the Coen brothers, 1987)
- Rollerball (Norman Jewison, 1975)
- Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Tom Stoppard, 1990)
- Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
- Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974)
