American actor Keanu Reeves is perhaps one of the very few Hollywood stars who is loved by everyone across the globe. He stays away from the limelight, only appears when he has to promote a movie, or use his fame for the better of the society. Known for his roles in projects such as ‘Speed’, the ‘Matrix’ and ‘John Wick’ film franchises, which are high on action, Reeves is also an actor who has shown his versatality across genres. As Reeves celebrates his 57th birthday today, we take a look at five films, where he proves he is more than just an action star.
'Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventures'
This 1989 sci-fi film is a complete laugh riot which sees two teenagers Bill S. Preston, Esq (Alex Winter) and Ted ‘Theodore’ Logan (Keanu Reeves), who travel through time, trying to convince historical figures such as Napolean Bonaparte and Genghis Khan to go with them, for their high-school history presentation. The film was so successful that the makers soon followed it up with a sequel ‘Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey’. The film’s third instalment, ‘Bill & Ted Face The music’ was a straight-to-dvd release, which came out last year.
'The Devil’s Advocate'
Release in 1997 this supernatural thriller also stars Oscar-winning actors Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. Keanu pleays a young bright lawyer, who jons a big law firm in New York run by Al Pacino’s John Milton, who is actual not a human, but the devil himself. While the film had received mixed reviews for its lose lose plot, Reeve’s performance as the young lawyer, driven by ambition and money, yet bound by things that make him human, was loved by the critics and the audiences alike.
'Sweet November'
On the face of it, the 2001 film starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron in pivotal roles is a romantic drama. However, after watching it, viewers realise the various other themes, that heavily affect the film and the characters in it. Reeves’ performance was well praised by the critics and the audiences as well, who were pleasantly surprised to witness Reeves’ acting chops in a romantic drama on the big screen.
'A Scanner Darkly'
This Richard Linklater directed semi-animated film, which released in 2006, features an ensemble cast including actors Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey Jr, apart from Reeves. The mind-bending film, with elements of psychedelia, is an edge of the seat thriller, which involves an overly intrusive police force investigating the drug-addiction epidemic in the US.
'Toy Story 4'
Reeves is a fantastic voiceover artiste as well. Apart from several voiceovers in video games, the most recent memorable performance by Reeves as a voiceover artiste was in ‘Toy Story 4’, where he was the voice of Duke Caboom! According to Reeves, in an interview, the makers of the popular animated film franchise had entrusted Reeves to come out with his own version of a voice for the character.
