Perhaps the pinnacle of Reeves’ fame came with 1999’s The Matrix, a sci-fi blockbuster that had a huge influence on popular culture. Reeves’ career has had its highs and lows and he has faced criticism over his acting ability (most recently and bizarrely Matthew Perry’s autobiography) but has always been a popular actor.

Yeah…I’m Thinking I’m Back – John Wick

Reeves consistently worked through the 2000s but it was clear he wasn’t the box office draw that he once was; that all changed with John Wick. This was a film with an anonymous title, a first-time director Chad Stahelski primarily known as a stunt coordinator and whatever star power Keanu Reeves had. The film was a huge success. Reeves played hitman-extraordinaire John Wick, who retired but was provoked into work again by Russian mobsters killing his pet dog. In terms of action and fighting it would rank as one of the greatest action films of all time, with spectacularly choreographed fight scenes and a fantastic central performance by Reeves. On a budget of $20,000,000 it made around $86,000,000. On top of that, it was a cultural phenomenon. There have been three sequels, a tv show in production and probably a lot more to come from this world. While none of the sequels have quite captured the magic of the first film they have all been enjoyable and interesting films.

I Admit It…I Didn’t Expect That – Cyberpunk 2077

Another big project for Reeves has been his involvement in Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most anticipated video games of recent years, and while the game was a little disappointing, it wasn’t because of Reeves. In Cyberpunk 2077 Reeves played Johnny Silverhand a huge figure in the Cyberpunk world, a famous musician and rebel activist. To cut a long story short, your character downloads Johnny Silverhand into his mind, and he appears to you, perhaps slowly taking over your body or a helpful ally. It is slowly becoming more acceptable for A-List actors to take on roles in video games where acting is important, and not just their star power (important note – the video game industry is made up of many talented actors who put in great performances, but they are not household names), Elliot Page and Willem Defoe starred in Beyond: Two souls.

This Is The Story Of Our Most Excellent Dads – Bill & Ted Face The Music

Far more important than the latest Matrix sequel was that another Bill and Ted film was recently released with Reeves taking up his familiar role of Ted. Many years have passed and Wyld Stallyns have still not written the song that creates the utopic future they were told about. Reeves seemed delighted to return to the character and world that made him famous, throwing himself into the oddity of the film wholeheartedly. There are a number of very odd pairings of various “Bill and Teds” from different time periods, with usually the future versions being awful ridiculous people. The pair have also had children with their respective princess wives, each having a daughter who is very much after their respective fathers.

One thing that has helped Keanu Reeves over the years is that he seems like a nice guy, known for being relaxed and friendly and coming out with statements like, “I don’t want to live in a world where kindness is seen as a weakness,” and being declared the “internet’s boyfriend” due to his good looks, niceness and plentiful anecdotes of behaving like a lovely and humble person.

Looking on IMDb as for what Reeves has in the future, more John Wick and more Cyberpunk but also Constantine 2 (sequel to the poorly received comic book movie that has since gained a lot of fans over the years) and it’s good to have that the combination of nice guy and action movie megastar will continue for years to come.

Also Read: The Red Pill or the Blue Pill: Matrix Philosophy

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John was living a quiet life. Still in mourning for his recently deceased wife he spends his time caring for the dog she bought him and driving his classic car. After refusing to sell his car to Russian mobsters they decide to steal it and end up killing John’s dog. This was a huge mistake as John was actually a retired legendary assassin and was very upset about his dog. Before John can do anything the Russian mobsters decide to strike first and send people to kill him – who utterly fail.

Hutch was living a quiet life in the suburbs. He had a wife and two children and a good job at his father-in-law’s company. One night people break into Hutch’s house and steal a few things during which he complies with their demands. People mock Hutch for his perceived cowardice. This event seems to rekindle something within Hutch and while ultimately taking no revenge on the burglars instead looks for opportunities to get involved in a confrontation which he quickly finds, beating some thoroughly unpleasant people to a pulp. These people, however, were Russian mobsters who come looking for revenge. This was a huge mistake as it turns out Hutch is a retired legendary assassin and was very upset that they came to his family home.

These are the respective storylines of John Wick and Nobody – both enjoyable action films with a lot of similarities (both are written by the same person). However, there seemed a crucial difference between the two films. John Wick seemed to be genuinely retired and had no interest in killing sprees whereas Hutch is perhaps a little bored. At one point Hutch says perhaps after retiring from an action-packed life of a government assassin he went too far the other way in the incredibly quiet and docile life he made.

In both films, the villains are in organised crime which is a shorthand for saying are very bad people that we shouldn’t feel too much pity for as John and Hutch wipe them out. The spark of revenge for Wick that they kill his dog was rather inspired, I feel in many films it would have been Wick’s wife (who died of an illness) but in many ways killing a dog feels worse. As Billy points out in Seven Psychopaths “you can’t let the animals die in the movie. Only the women.” Already we feel sorry for Wick and angry with the mobsters and before Wick can do anything they try and kill him, so not only is it revenge but Wick is fighting for survival. In Nobody Hutch holds back from the people breaking into his house – he recognises them as desperate people who don’t want to hurt anyone. Hutch’s return to his old ways is later – when awful people get on a bus and start harassing a woman and he intervenes. It’s great that Hutch helped her but when he saw the people outside the bus he wanted them to get on, he wanted the confrontation, he wanted them to do something bad so he would have an excuse to attack them.

You are still on Hutch’s side as a viewer but I know for me it flagged something up – John Wick is reactive whereas Hutch is proactive and it subtly changed what was happening for me. For all of their similarities to me, this was a crucial difference between John Wick and Nobody. There are other “revenge” films with complicated protagonists, Prevenge is about a pregnant woman killing the people she blames for the death of her partner – importantly it is pointed out repeatedly that her partner’s death was an accident, even judged so by a court, so her revenge seems unjustified. While I feel Prevenge is well aware of this and deals with the problem that the viewer may turn against the protagonist I’m not sure Nobody ever does. Tarantino’s Kill Bill films are an epic revenge story and again, someone who had given up their dangerous life for peace (although the Bride essentially admits it wouldn’t have lasted) – a line from Bud “That woman, deserves her revenge and… we deserve to die. But then again, so does she.” points out that she may well be warranted in killing them but other people would feel the same about her.

Ultimately what may make Nobody work is Bob Odenkirk, a fantastic actor who has spent years playing Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill the morally corrupt lawyer from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. It’s hard to dislike Odenkirk and so it’s easy to root for Hutch especially as unlike the always impeccably cool John Wick/Keanu Reeves both he and his character seem more ordinary. Perhaps the problem with Nobody is that you could turn the premise of the story around – Yulian (the main villain of Nobody) seeks revenge after a former government hitman who rides around on buses looking for trouble brutalises his younger brother – although you’d probably have to make the younger brother a more sympathetic character.

Also Read: 7 Reasons Characters Die In Horror Films

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These films were picked based on their creativity, the impact of the action and how well the story complimented the action. And because there were so man good action films this decade I will be including honourable mentions for you to also watch. Without further ado, let’s begin.

2010: Inception (dir. Christopher Nolan)

With an interesting story about implanting ideas into someone’s mind while having to battle through not only the subject’s mental defences but your own baggage as well as incredibly staged action sequences like the rotating hallway fight and using minimal CGI, Inception is a true sci-fi action masterpiece.

HM: Kick-Ass & 13 Assassins.

2011: The Raid (dir. Gareth Evans)

After a swat team is ambushed in an apartment complex the survivors must reach and arrest the kingpin before his henchmen kill them. From this simple premise, The Raid quickly ratchets up the tension as we are never sure who will escape alive. And the action sequences use of flowing choreography, camerawork and editing turn the film into a remarkable ballet of violence.

HM: Captain America: The First Avenger & X-men: First Class.

2012: Dredd (dir. Peter Travis)

Similar to The Raid, Dredd finds two judges (police officers who are judge, jury, and executioner) Dredd (Karl Urban) and Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), trapped in a skyscraper, having to fight their way to the kingpin to escape. However, Dredd keeps The Raid’s tension while also injecting a healthy dose of comic book action. With bloody violence, great world-building, beautiful slow-motion usage and endearing characters, Dredd, packs a punch despite its small stature.

HM: The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises & Skyfall.

2013: Snowpiercer (dir. Bong Joon-Ho)

While the premise is far-fetched (the remnants of humanity are trapped on a perpetually running world-spanning train after a climate crisis), Snowpiercer’s story about humanity in microcosm and fight scenes are very affecting. The skirmishes are protracted and merciless, combined with the claustrophobic setting and masterful editing, Snowpiercer will keep you riveted till the end.  

HM: The Worlds End & Elysium.

2014: The Raid 2 (dir. Gareth Evans)

After surviving the first film, Rama (Iko Uwais) must infiltrate the mob and bring them down from inside. From there this sequel improves on everything great about the original. With more impressive choreography, more brutal violence; even more memorable characters, all wrapped around a fantastic story of family and loyalty. The Raid 2 is my favourite action film of the decade.

HM: Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Guardians of the Galaxy.

2015: Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller)

Mad Max: Fury Road puts all other 2015 action movies to shame, with an effectively slight story about Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) helping a band of women escape an oppressive patriarch; spectacular vehicle stunts. By the movie’s end, you’ll feel exhausted by the relentless action. Impressed by the practical stunts and special effects. And moved by characters like Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and Nux (Nicholas Hoult). High octane action at its finest.

HM: Furious 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron & Sicario.

2016: Captain America: Civil War (dir. Joe Russo)

Civil War is the highlight of the MCU. The story grounds the conflict in each heroes’ hopes and fears, examining them and playing them against each other expertly. Every character is relatable, making the fights more impactful. And each action sequence is creative. From the opening robbery to the final 2 on 1. Marvel has made many good films, but none topped the impact of Civil War.

HM: Deadpool.

2017: Dunkirk (dir. Christopher Nolan)

Depicting the titular WWII evacuation from three perspectives: the soldiers trapped at Dunkirk waiting for rescue, the civilians coming to evacuate the soldiers and the airmen covering them from above, Dunkirk’s tension becomes almost unbearable as we hope the soldiers escape in time. The use of practical effects, incredible sound editing, and Hans Zimmer’s tense score make the film effective and harrowing.

HM: Baby Driver.

2018: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse (dir. Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti, Rodney Rothman)

The perfect balance of spectacle, personality, and high personal stakes. Into the Spiderverse is an expertly crafted love letter to comic books. With beautiful visuals that are used inventively in action sequences, all anchored by protagonist Miles Morales. Who allows us to feel his wonder, excitement, and fear better than any other spiderman.

HM: Avengers: Infinity War.

2019: John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum (dir. Chad Stahelski)

Parabellum marks the culmination of everything great about John Wick. The story is full of unique, intriguing characters, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is still thoroughly engaging and the grounded, varied, constant action easily beats the overblown spectacle of other films this year.

HM: Avengers: Endgame.

So ends my list of the 2010’s best action movies. Be sure to tell me your favourite action movie of the decade in the comments. There have been some great action films this decade, now let’s see what the 2020s have in store.

Also Read: How to Revive a Franchise After Many Years

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The Matrix – Subway Fight

• Combatants – Neo Vs Agent Smith
• Setting: Subway Station
• Weapons – Briefly guns, then fists

Watching The Matrix again now and you see just how influential it was. So many action films since have similar balletic fight scenes, highly choreographed and done with precision and care but I don’t know if The Matrix has ever been topped. As good as Keanu Reeves is in The Matrix Hugo Weaving is better and in many ways a far more interesting character. Everything about Agent Smith from the way he talks to the way he moves seems like it has been very carefully chosen. Youtube has videos that consist entirely of Agent Smith saying “Mr Anderson”.

Depending on how much you buy into into Neo being The One at this point really effects how likely it is that you think he’ll win. It is specifically said that every person who has tried to fight an agent has died. The fight starts with the infamous bullet-time but quickly becomes a martial arts master class. Agent Smith has a curious conservation of movement and energy and rarely looks like he’s actually trying whereas Neo is battered and bloody and clearly putting his all into it.

The climatic moment of the fight when we think Agent Smith is dead but then steps off the train is genius and also means that in one of the best fights in the history of cinema no one is actually killed.

Body Count – 0

John Wick – Club Fight

• Combatants: John Wick Vs A Lot Of Russian Gangsters
• Setting: A Night Club
• Weapons: Guns and fists

Yes, Keanu Reeves gets two. Obviously, the fight scenes in John Wick are the most important parts of the film and they don’t disappoint – arguably setting the bar for all future action films. There are number I could pick but I often come back to the fight in the night club. This is genuinely a blood bath and I had the body count at around 29 over the space of seven minutes and it showcases all of Wick’s skills – hand-to-hand fighting, shooting, weird kung-fu, all of it. Wick’s prowess at killing people almost seems supernatural but never quite strays over that line. Interestingly despite cutting through so many people Wick doesn’t even win the fight, his target escapes and he ends up being thrown over over a barrier to the floor below. But really with John Wick if he’s not dead you haven’t really won.

Body Count – I counted 29 but I’m not confident in that number.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Elevator Fight

• Combatants : Captain America Vs Various S.H.I.E.L.D Agents
• Setting – A lift (AKA an elevator)
• Weapons – Electric shock weapons, fists.

A brief fight to be sure but perhaps my favourite in all of the Marvel films. I like a fight scene that happens in a place that rather restricts the fighting and makes directors think outside the box and this definitely qualifies. Captain America is set upon by eleven (I think, it’s a little hard to count) men and then for most of the fight has one hand stuck to the wall. So often with fight scenes you feel like you’ve seen it before but I can’t think of another scene quite like this.

Body Count – Nobody dies but I count 11 people on the floor.

Kingsman: The Secret Service – Church Fight

• Combatants – Superspy Harry Hart and various fundamentalist Christians.
• Setting – Church in America.
• Weapons- Guns, knives, grenades, an axe, whatever you can put your hands on

I would go so far as to say this isn’t a good film. This one scene, however, makes it worth watching. Colin Firth is not your typical action hero but he really pulls this off. As all inside the church are essentially brainwashed into an orgy of violence a massive fight breaks out which leaves only one person standing – Harry Hart. Everyone in the church is fighting everyone else with nearly five minutes of utter mayhem in what becomes the Where’s Wally of fight scenes as you search the screen picking out individual confrontations.

Body Count – I have no idea and didn’t even try to count.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark – Plane Fight

• Combatants – Indiana Jones Vs A Big Nazi (with assistance from Marion and assorted Nazis respectively)
• Setting Air Strip in Egypt
• Weapons: Fists, machine gun, propeller

Indiana Jones does not like a fair fight. Not when he’s fighting someone bigger, tougher and stronger than he is. And is a Nazi. In this fight Indy tries every underhand trick he can think of and in the end he doesn’t really win as much the other guy loses. While certainly not played for laughs there are a couple of moments of real humour, the first time Indy is punched by the Nazi soldier he doesn’t just get knocked over but his legs just give way leaving him dazed and on the ground.

Much of the fight in Indy actually trying to avoid his opponent quickly realising there was no way he was going to win and the legendary moment when his opponent does meet his end is surely one of the best conclusions to a film fight.

Body Count – One of the main combatants and a number of other German soldiers who showed up and got on the wrong side of a machine gun.

The Dark Knight Returns – Batman Fights Superman

• Combatants – Batman Vs Superman (each with a few helpful assistants)
• Setting – A deserted section of Gotham.
• Weapons – Superman’s superpowers & Batman’s gadgets

In writing this article I did some reading around “great” fights and I was surprised to see Batman Vs Superman from Batman Vs Superman, in my view a terrible fight. So instead I have included the Batman Vs Superman fight from The Dark Knight Returns, animation but certainly one of my all time favourite fights and a vastly superior movie. This film handles the idea of why the two are fighting so much better than Zack Synder’s film and you also think that Superman might actually kill Batman, something we all knew wasn’t going to happen in Synder’s film.

Weakened from the detonation of a nuclear missile – just go with it – Superman is not at his best already and Wayne brings everything from sonic weapons to a super-strong batsuit to try and defeat him and in the end, well, he wins. A victory of ingenuity and admittedly billions of dollars over the the near-invincibility of Superman.

Body Count – 0

Also Read: Superhero Standoff: Superheros Vs Art

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What’s Going On?

Super-assassin John Wick has a $14,000,000 bounty placed on his head after breaking one of the cardinal rules of the Continental Hotel – no business is conducted on hotel grounds. As this is a hotel for assassins, “business” means killing people. In the world of this film, assassins lurk around every corner and John is set upon by an endless array of killers. Eager to get out from under this death sentence, John delves deeper into the mysterious world of assassins to find a solution to his problem.

Behind The Scenes

John Wick was directed by Chad Stahelski who, famously, before that film had been a stunt co-ordinator and as such was incredibly focused on the fight scenes. Stahelski stayed on to direct Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 and the fight scenes are still amazing, at times truly dazzling and clearly directed by a world-class expert. I am something of a connoisseur of good fight scenes and I still winced at how real some of the blows felt while marvelling at the technical capabilities of all involved.

In Front Of The Camera

Keanu Reeves obviously dominates the film as he plays John Wick and continues to bring an almost stoic sensibility to non-stop life and death fights. Alongside Reeves’ acting talent is sheer ability to be in this film, I am unaware exactly how much of Reeves’ fighting is done by a double but he certainly seems to be taking on a lot. Ian McShane reprises his role as Winston, manager of the Continental Hotel (the assassin hotel that has placed the bounty on Wick for breaking their rules) and with him also returns Lance Riddick as the ever helpful concierge, Charon. Lawrence Fishburne is also back as the unnamed Bowery King – the ruler of another mysterious group of criminals who pose as homeless New Yorkers. There are newcomers – the primary antagonist is the Adjuciator, a representative of the High Table, the rulers of this world of assassins played by Asia Kate Dillon, who not only wants Wick dead also wants New York shaken up a bit. Perhaps more important is the addition of Mark Dacascos, an assassin and sushi chef billed as someone actually capable of taking on John Wick. Real star power is brought by Oscar winner Halle Berry, who operates a similar hotel as that managed by Winston but in Casablanca. Angelica Houston pops up playing The Director, who doubles as ballet director and crimelord whose help John Wick seeks and provides a little more backstory to the character of John Wick.

Does It Work?

I consider John Wick a great action film, a twist on a simple revenge story, driven by Keanu Reeves’ performance and some of the best fight choreography ever. John Wick 2 was entertaining, and again, had amazing fight scenes, but it wasn’t quite the same and I feel much the same with John Wick 3. It’s certainly an enjoyable film and I was never bored but the more it’s delved into this world the less I get out of it. It somehow lacked the magic of the original and this might be as simple as I knew what to expect, whereas Chapter 1 was a surprise. I do think that there is a problem with John Wick’s motivation, in the first film it was revenge but in the other two there is something more complicated going on – debts owed, rules broken and the schemes of powerful people.

The more that is revealed about the Continental, the High Table, the Bowery and so on the more convoluted and less satisfying it becomes. The sheer number of assassins that exists not just in New York but seemingly any spot on the globe is astounding and stretches credulity. The thing that seems most unbelievable is that surely there aren’t this many assassinations to support such a huge number of assassins.

Whereas the first chapter was based entirely in New York, Chapter 2 took us to Rome and Chapter 3 continues with this international perspective. John Wick felt very contained, everything happened in a couple of days in a couple of locations but increasingly the franchise is eager to spread its wings. Doing this does allow for a bit of variety but personally, I would have preferred a more claustrophobic setting.

There was a cool touch in John Wick where after one fight scene early in the movie the police turn up. They know John who is, simply ask if he’s working again and then stay out of his way but you can’t help but think the level of carnage caused in this film would warrant some kind of police response. There are even suggestions of supernatural powers or mystical techniques possessed by some of the assassins, that to me, make John Wick’s phenomenal killing abilities less impressive.

Of course, John Wick was never supposed to be set in the real world, this hyper-violent world of secret assassins and globe-spanning criminal syndicates was supposed to be escapist fun but I think after the first film the balance between reality and fantasy has moved too far to the latter.

But really most of these complaints and minor gripes and is just what separates a good film from being a great film. If you enjoyed the previous John Wick films you will almost certainly love this. The fight scenes continue to offer something new, whether it’s drafting in Boban Marjanovic, a seven foot three inches tall basketball star, to serve as an early opponent or adding horses and dogs to the weapons John Wick utilises. While I feel the story has become a little bogged down with secret organisations the core of the film remains the same- John Wick having to fight a seemingly impossible number of people.

The biggest plus in the film is certainly Mark Dacascos. In the two previous chapters, there was no one who, individually, was thought to be John Wick’s equal when it came to killing people. There wasn’t one bad guy for him to fight there would be a couple of dozen. Of course, John Wick still has to fight through dozens of opponents but it all leads to a showdown with Dacascos.

Overall this is a very enjoyable action film that doesn’t quite capture the magic of the first instalment but compared to other franchises on their second sequel this is amazing stuff.

Verdict (3.5 / 5)

Also Read: Ten Movies Turning 20 in 2019!

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