Essay on Keanu Reeves: A Master of His Craft - Best Performances in Speed, The Matrix & John Wick

Keanu Reeves is one of the most acclaimed actors in television history. This can be attributed to how flawlessly he gives life to every character he plays. His prowess in acting is evident in all genres of film in which he is cast. All of the roles he plays in these films can be classified as good acting, but there are specific characters that Keanu plays that hold the title for some of his greatest works. Some of these include his work in Speed, The Matrix Series, and The John Wick Series. It is in these movies that Keanu gives jaw-dropping performances while granting us perfect execution of important lines of dialogue in the films. Some of these lines include:

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'People keep asking if I'm back and I haven't had an answer. But now, yeah, I'm thinking I'm back' - This line is from John Wick. This is one of Keanu Reeves' most celebrated characters. In this film, he plays a retired assassin who left the world of killing to spend the rest of his life who unfortunately dies. John wick is left with a puppy that his wife got him to help him get through his grief once she died. His time with the puppy is short-lived when the puppy is killed by one of his former associate's son.

This act is met with a lot of rage from John Wick, who goes on a killing spree to get to the man who killed his dog. This line encapsulates the whole notion of the film as it sheds light that John Wick is back to his old ways in his quest to avenge the death of his dog. In this scene, John Wick has been captured by Viggio, his former associate whose son killed John's puppy. In this scene, Viggio taunts John for wanting to kill his son over just a dog. This statement infuriates John wick, which goes on to elucidate why the puppy meant so much to him and would do whatever it took to avenge his dog even if it meant going back to his old ways, which he had since left behind, that is being a ruthless killer. This line proves to be more than a Launchpad for this character as it secures the notion that John Wick is back and is there to stay.

'Guns, lots of guns.'- This line is also from the John Wick Series in the latest film: John Wick Chapter 3- Parabellum. In this scene, John Wick has decided to defend his friend Winston, who had previously declared him excommunicado, from the high table. They are at the Intercontinental hotel, where service to John Wick had previously been suspended. Having decided to defend him, Winston reinstates all of Wick's services and asks what he would need to fight for him, which is answered by this line. This line is a perfect depiction of John Wick's character as an Assassin. It shows that he needs the tools to do what he does best, which is to hunt and kill. It reveals that the character knows that the only way to help his friend is through violence to which he is no stranger. This line portrays the character as a force to be reckoned with and one who is ready to demolish anything that comes between him and his goal.

'Shoot the Hostage'- Keanu says this line in his work in the movie Speed. His spectacular performance in this film is considered to have bolstered his grip on action films. In this movie, Keanu plays an officer tasked with preventing the death of passengers in a bus that has been rigged with a bomb. In this scene, Jack, played by Keanu Reeves, is faced with a predicament. The bomber has a hostage who he is using as cover to get to a plane to escape; Jack is forced to decide on whether to let them get away without hurting the hostage or shoot the hostage to get to the bomber. This line is repeated several in the movie as the answer to a pop quiz that helps the officer to know what to do when faced with a challenging situation.

"You ever have that feeling where you're not sure if you're awake or still dreaming?"- This line is from one of Keanu Reeves' best performances, The Matrix. In this movie, he plays the role of Neo, a computer programmer/ computer hacker who penetrates computer systems and steals information under this alias. In his hacking escapades, he discovers the matrix: a vague notion that something is wrong with the world. With this, he embarks on his journey to find Morpheus, who he believes has the answers to what exactly the matrix is. This line is said by Neo just before he learns that the matrix is a simulated world to which humans are connected and that humanity is used as a power source for giant intelligent machines. The delivery of this line by Keanu Reeves makes the audience not only question the fictional world created by the film but also makes the audience also question the whole existence of humanity and the world. The delivery of the line by Keanu also makes the audience relate to their own lives by asking a question that the audience can relate to. His execution of this line did not only elicit more interest to the character by the audience but also sparked debates regarding the world and its reality.

Conclusion

From the above, it is clear that a line from an important dialogue can build a whole character in a film. Keanu Reeves achieves this in all the characters that he plays whether it is a thrilling action movie or a romantic comedy, he delivers those lines in a manner that builds his characters into what the audience can relate.