The 20 movies Keanu Reeves thinks everyone needs to see
Keanu Reeves is one of Hollywood’s top stars, widely celebrated for his contributions to popular culture through beloved projects like John Wick and The Matrix. He has managed to do all this while maintaining the most difficult persona in all of Hollywood: being a nice guy.
In addition to films, Reeves has become an indispensable part of current discourse due to his popularity among meme communities and his appearances in video games such as Cyberpunk 2077. The actor is now just as beloved for his off-screen dalliances as he is for his on-screen performances.
After reprising the iconic role of Neo in the highly anticipated sequel to the original trilogy, The Matrix Resurrections, Reeves has moved on to other projects like John Wick Chapter 4. He has also been attached to a secret Netflix production for a while now, but details regarding that are highly ambiguous at this point.
During the promotional campaign of The Matrix Resurrections last year, Reeves’ co-star and longtime friend Carrie-Ann Moss spoke about the actor’s work habits. She said: “His work ethic is unlike anyone I’ve ever met, and I’ve seen it up close: He trains harder, works harder, cares more, always asks more and more questions to understand the depth of what we’re doing”.
Moss added: “And while he was doing all of that for himself, he always had an eye out for me.”
While talking about her professional relationship with Reeves, she also revealed that she had asked the actor for film recommendations, and he had provided her with an interesting list of essential cinematic experiences.
According to Moss, Reeves was very busy with his workload, but he took the time out to curate a selection of his personal favourites for her. She commented, “Like when I asked him for those movies, 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.”
In addition to the list that Reeves handed Moss, he has also spoken about his love for filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola on multiple occasions. During a Guardian interview, he also claimed that Stanley Kubrick would have loved him.
Reeves said. “I would’ve been his wet dream!” while talking about Kubrick’s tendency to conduct extensive retakes. “After take 400, Kubrick would’ve been, [adopts grizzled Brooklyn accent] ‘All right, cut!’ and I’d be, like, ‘Stanley, can I do one more?'”.
Within the list are some truly brilliant titles. Where he does pay tribute to Kubrick with Dr Strangelove and A Clockwork Orange, as well as doffing his cap to Akira Kurosawa and Francis Ford Coppola, showing his knowledge of great movies, there are some more unexpected items on the list.
A double bill for Luc Besson should be no real surprise, especially the inclusion of Leon: The Professional, the kind of movie John Wick probably watches on his day off. But the other double bill of Mel Brooks might not be on everybody’s first iteration of this list, but Reeves picks out two classic comedies from the funny man filmmaker.
The list suggests a well-rounded lover of movies, the kind of guy who can both make you laugh, give you a serene, poetic reading and still kick ass or two. In fact, its an almost perfect depiction of Reeves himself.
Check out the full list below.
Keanu Reeves’ 20 favourite movies:
- The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016)
- A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
- Rollerball (Norman Jewison, 1975)
- The Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2016)
- Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
- Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
- Amadeus (Miloš Forman, 1984)
- Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Tom Stoppard, 1990)
- The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981)
- Raising Arizona (Coen brothers, 1987)
- The Big Lebowski (Coen brothers, 1998)
- La Femme Nikita (Luc Besson, 1990)
- Léon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994)
- Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974)
- Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974)
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, 1975)
- The Outlaw Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood, 1976)
- Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (George Miller, 1981)
- Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
- Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
