Iconic $1B Trilogy That Changed Action Movies Forever Leaves Netflix Very Soon

Many Hollywood stars can only dream of the level of fame and fan love that Keanu Reeves has achieved over the years.

Beginning his career in the 1980s, the actor quickly hit the big time, starring in a series of iconic films that culminated in 1999's The Matrix.

The role of Neo in the Wachowskis' groundbreaking masterpiece was long considered the crowning achievement of the actor's career, as he became inseparable from The One, further cementing his superstar status.

The Actor’s Career Slowed Down After the Matrix

After the dystopian sci-fi trilogy came to an end, however, Reeves' career took a slight downturn, as while he continued to appear on the big screen, none of the films he starred in could even come close to matching The Matrix.

Furthermore, while some of them turned out to be good, like Constantine ( which has now become a cult classic despite the cold initial reception) and A Scanner Darkly, most of the others were pretty much hit and miss.

That all changed in 2013, when a relatively low-budget action movie with a seemingly clichéd synopsis that no one expected anything from became an overnight hit and elevated the actor's career to new heights.

John Wick Was a Game Changer

John Wick was Chad Stahelski's directorial debut and starred Reeves as a retired professional assassin who returns to his old ways to take revenge on gangsters who stole his car and killed his dog.

With a budget of only $20-30 million and a rather tired setup that had been used in countless other movies, John Wick didn't look too promising.

Much to everyone's surprise, it turned out to be phenomenal, captivating audiences with a simple yet effective revenge story and amazingly beautifully choreographed action that looked incredibly realistic compared to most other installments in the genre.

Such massive success led to the creation of an entire new franchise, which at this point consists of 4 films and a prequel TV series, upping the stakes with each new film and grossing over $1 billion in the process.

While the "realistic" aspect was toned down a bit after the second film to allow for more visually impressive action, it didn't make the whole series any less great, as the quality level was maintained throughout all four installments.

If you want to refresh your memory of this great franchise that proved that being grounded and realistic can only enhance the impression of the action sequences, or if you want to check it out for the first time, you might want to hurry up.

The first three John Wick movies are currently available on Netflix, but will leave the streaming service on March 31, 2024.