The Matrix has been a cultural phenomenon ever since the first film was released in 1999. Keanu Reeves’ performance as the titular hero, Neo, is one that has often been parodied and referenced in popular culture. Reeves isn’t exactly known for his stellar acting chops, and yet, it’s impossible to imagine anyone else taking the role.
Let’s talk about why, as well as the specific moment that etched him into cinema history.
The Hero’s Journey Character Structure
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the screenwriting toolbox. Take someone ordinary who longs for something extraordinary, and place them on a really difficult journey that will eventually lead them down that path. Neo’s journey is far from complete by the end of the first film, but the amount of growth we see him go through and the strength that we see him develop by the end of the film is very easy to be inspired by.
His character starts out literally “trapped in the Matrix”. He works a boring office job that he hates, his managers are snippy with him, he makes shady dark-web style dealings for hackers on the side, and doesn’t have a ton of prospects that match his potential.
Once recruited by Morpheus, his extensive training and combat experience against the diabolical Agent Smith and his counterparts make for a thrilling journey, with everything coalescing into Neo coming into his own as the prophesied “One,” as his name is not-so-subtly an anagram of.
Playing to Keanu Reeves’ Strengths
‘The Matrix Reloaded’Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Keanu Reeves, as mentioned earlier, isn’t exactly known for his acting gravitas. Whenever directors place him in more dialogue-heavy, serious, deeply substantive roles, his performance begins to falter. He has a way of delivering dialogue that, while iconic, isn’t a style most performers find themselves replicating all that often. The roles outside of The Matrix that he played prior to it that people reference the most tend to be his roles in films like Speed or Point Break, although that film still has some phenomenal line readings.
The Matrix understands Keanu’s strengths as an actor better than any movie he’s ever done. His dialogue is quick, snappy, and often quotable: perfect for him. And the important stuff comes in his physical work. The kung-fu, action combat, and maybe most importantly…the wardrobe.
Pretty Much the Entire Third Act of the Movie
The last 45 minutes of the first Matrix film boasts some of the coolest American action filmmaking ever produced at the time, and at the center of it all is Keanu Reeves in the impossibly cool all-black outfit with his trenchcoat and glasses. It’s an instantly recognizable fit to this day, and, as trivial as it may sound, this outfit plays such a huge role in how cool this guy looks during the lobby shootout.
The lobby shootout, once again, is one of the most iconic action sequences put to screen. If you look at any action movie made in the immediate half-decade post-1999, odds are there is going to be some form of ripoff to either that scene, or the third act of the film in general. The slo-mo, the music, the gymnastics, Keanu’s sunglasses, it’s a perfect storm of pure cool. And in my opinion, it’s not even in the top five coolest things that happen in the last act of the movie.
Combing through all of the craziness for a personal favorite moment can prove to be laborious, but it’s clear that the most iconic moment that has most stood the test of time is Keanu’s bullet gymnastics. Being able to have a moment so ingrained into culture like that all to yourself is something that so many of even the greatest performers of all time only dream of having.
Keanu Reeves in the 21st Century
‘John Wick’Credit: Lionsgate
The Matrix sequels certainly helped to maintain the public’s image of Reeves as a stoic, punk-rock action hero far into the early 2000s and beyond. So much so that his next big role as killer assassin John Wick, who made his debut in 2014, sports a very similar fashion style and even fewer words out of his mouth. The franchise took what made Keanu the coolest guy around in The Matrix and made a billion-dollar franchise out of it, with spinoffs and TV shows galore into the 2020s.
We can talk day in and day out about that franchise as well, and how much Keanu makes it so special. But the important thing to remember is, we wouldn’t have any of it without the not-so-little punk sci-fi movie that could in 1999.
