The Best Keanu Reeves Movie Stunts

As long as movies have been putting butts in seats, stunt performers have been putting their butts on the line for the sake of Hollywood’s jaw-dropping spectacles. And because it’s such a cool gig, some actors even want in on the action. And of those action-y actors, some even lose themselves in the world of adrenaline. 

Whether it’s the martial arts magic of Jackie Chan or Tom Cruise hanging from dangerous heights, insane stunts performed by headlining thespians help immerse fans in the movies. And no one goes Whoa-verboard quite like Keanu Reeves. 

Keanu is one of the good ones, constantly challenging himself for the sake of cinema. He’s learned Kung Fu, Gun Fu, Wire Fu, and even tried out an English accent in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. All equally difficult. What began with Speed and the Matrix movies now extends into the John Wick saga, and that’s Keanu’s devotion to delivering the goods when it comes to mass murder. Here’s a quick look at some of Reeves’ most awesome stunt work from some of the best Keanu Reeves movies.

Surfing in Point Break

Surf’s (and we cannot stress this enough) up.

Wetter is indeed better as we start the Keanu stunts humbly with a small swell off the coast of Hermosa Beach. Keanu may have left the actual skydiving to plane-leaping enthusiast Patrick Swayze in 1991’s Point Break, but surfing – man, those tasty waves became Johnny Utah’s Hang 10 hobby both on and off screen. Keanu learned to surf for the film and… look, we’re mostly in awe that Keanu wasn’t already a surfer somehow. 

Riding Under a Moving Bus in Speed

The bus that couldn’t slow down.

A few years later Keanu would feel like a freak on a leash in 1994’s Speed, about a bus in Los Angeles carrying an explosive secret. No, not that public transportation is a cheaper, more environmentally-friendly alternative to driving. An actual bomb. The movie itself was not a bomb of course, thanks in part to stunts like this where Keanu was slowly fed under a moving bus like someone was fishing for devil’s concubines. Or advocates. And it’s one of the best bits in the film. 

Martial Arts in the Matrix Movies

I know Kung Fu.

Keanu would strike action/sci-fi gold with 1999’s The Matrix, which had him and his castmates training for months to get dope at Kung Fu so that they could do the fights themselves, as demonstrated in the iconic dojo sparring scene between Neo and Morpheus. Keanu’s impressive regimen included learning Jiu-Jitsu, Wushu, Boxing, Aikido, and Krav Maga.

Wire Fu in the Matrix Movies

Down to the wire.

Having gotten a taste of dangling in Point Break and Speed, it was time for Keanu to graduate to Wire Fu, which he’d utilize in all four Matrix films – whether he was going round and round with Agent Smith or cartwheeling over those guys in the chateau he took too long to defeat in The Matrix Reloaded. 

Bullet Time in the Matrix Movies

There’s no time like…

Of course, there’s also the game-changing “bullet time” visual effect introduced in The Matrix, which Keanu graciously bent over backwards for. No, he didn’t have to spend weeks getting trained by experts in the art of the limbo dance to do this, but still it was mighty cool of him to be physically there for the process.

Jumping Off a Building in The Matrix Resurrections

Tall building, multiple bounds…

…Just like it was for him and co-star Carrie-Anne Moss to careen off this skyscraper for The Matrix Resurrections, which he reportedly did 19 times. Which 9 out of 10 doctors agree is 19 more times than anyone should jump off a building. That one doctor just wants to see what happens.

Sword Work in 47 Ronin

45, 46… Yeah, we’re gonna need another Ronin.

For those of you who think this list will now be nothing but John Wick movies… correct. Well, mostly. There’s still 47 Ronin. We know. That many Ronin? In this economy? But Keanu learned the way of the blade for this role and the time he spent with stunt departments on the multiple Matrix outings definitely helped him sink his katana into this one.

More Martial Arts in the John Wick Movies

Wiki fights.

Now we get to Wild Wild Wick, where Keanu not only put all his previous training to excellent use but then also went several steps beyond with Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, even becoming a black belt in Judo over the past decade while in the John Wick role.

Gun Fu in the John Wick Movies

Wiki shoots.

And then there’s the shooting. All the shooting. Wherein John Wick’s gun just becomes a seamless extension of his body. Keanu was schooled in firearms and close-quarters tactics training so that he could become a One-Man Band of death.

After three decades of doing elaborate action films, Keanu has become a huge advocate for the stuntmen and women who create all the awesome thrills, so much so that he’s actively called for a new Oscars category for Best Stunt. And with each John Wick movie, Keanu seems closer and closer to nabbing that hypothetical award himself.

Horse (and Car) Mastery in the John Wick Movies

Dude, where’s my horse?

…Like in John Wick: Chapter 3, where Keanu took horsing around to a new level as he galloped through Manhattan and then used Glamorous Glue as a human… er, equine shield.

And in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4, Keanu was behind the wheel more than usual, doing a lot of his own stunt driving, all taking place around Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, where he’s doing 180s and shooting guns and just living the Fury Road dream. 

At nearly 60, Keanu Reeves is still gifting us with glorious action, and there’s still more on the horizon as the Canadian killbot is set to star in the live-action Netflix adaptation of his own Boom! Studios comic, BRZRKR. Which, to put lightly, does not skimp on violence.