It’s easy to think of Keanu Reeves as one of the great action movie stars in recent memory, but his career didn’t begin with action-related roles. He had a prominent role in the crime/drama film River’s Edge (1986), and then showcased his comedic sensibilities as one of the titular characters (Ted) in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989). It was the start of the 1990s when Reeves started to emerge as an action star, and then fast-forward to the 2010s (and beyond), and there’s no doubt it’s the genre he’s best suited to; the John Wick series more than established that. But to return to the 1990s, there’s an argument to be made that his three best films from that decade can all be defined either wholly or partly as action movies. Further, some of the other acclaimed movies he was featured in during the 1990s had Reeves delivering less impressive performances than his co-stars, like in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and The Devil’s Advocate. Still, he was good in the offbeat and drama-focused My Own Private Idaho, which is about as far from the action genre as a movie can get.
