Keanu Reeves’ monumental, violent film, John Wick, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024, but an underrated Reeves thriller that followed went even darker. Some of Keanu Reeves’ best films are infinitely rewatchable, with many of them helping to solidify him as one of the best action stars of all time. Released in 2014, John Wick was considered a key part of the revival in Reeves’ career, which also helped him become an action star once again.

John Wick was an instant success, resulting in three sequels so far, and several spin-offs, with Ballerina set to be released on June 6, 2025. The John Wick franchise is violent and dark, artfully depicting a world of assassins that paint the streets (and various other places) with loads of blood. Alongside that franchise, though, the Keanu Reeves thriller, Knock Knock, remains one of the darkest films of his entire career despite having a unique tone compared to other Reeves-led vehicles like John Wick.

A 4 Movie Run Rebranded Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves Leant Into More Action Roles In The 2010s

From the ’90s through the early-2000s, Keanu Reeves was one of the biggest action stars on the planet, starring in films like Point Break, Speed, and The Matrix. After that, though, Keanu Reeves tried his hand at leading in more conventional films, like rom-coms, and after his initial run in The Matrix Franchise was over, it seemed like Reeves’ best action days were behind him, but a later career resurgence of violent, dark films helped to establish the actor once more, with one becoming a massive franchise in the process.

Despite all four films having drastically different plots and tones, all four of them confronted violence in different ways.

From 2012-2014, Keanu Reeves had a four-movie run that helped to rebrand the actor once again, with John Wick being the most prominent of the four. The subsequent films were; Man of Tai Chi, which was Keanu Reeves’ directorial debut, 47 Ronin, John Wick, and then Knock Knock. Despite all four films having drastically different plots and tones, all four of them confronted violence in different ways, actually being some of the most violent movies in all of Reeves’ filmography. John Wick rightfully overshadows the others in this run, but the film that came after was a particularly interesting choice.

Knock Knock Was Keanu Reeves’ Boldest Move After John Wick

After His New Action Hero Status, A Dark Erotic Thriller Was An Unexpected Swerve

Given that Keanu Reeves had successfully restarted his action film career with John Wick’s lightning in a bottle performance, having Knock Knock come out directly after feels like a bold move in hindsight. Despite also being a dark and violent entry into Reeves’ filmography, it couldn’t be further from what John Wick was. If John Wick was the first step towards Reeves’ new era, Knock Knock was a bold swing in a much different direction, trying something different from what came before and even after.

John Wick Directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch reveal the franchise’s crucial plot point was saved from being cut by star Keanu Reeves.

After John Wick felt more grounded and serious, Knock Knock went for a much different tone. Co-written and directed by Eli Roth, director of Hostel, Cabin Fever, and Thanksgiving, Knock Knock was marketed as a dark, sexually-charged thriller featuring Keanu Reeves being tortured by two women (Ana de Armas, Lorenza Izzo) after cheating on his wife with them after they showed up at his house. It definitely did fit that billing, but it was much campier than people might have realized. Keanu Reeves knew exactly what the film was going for, and it resulted in the film’s most iconic scene.

Keanu Reeves’ First Movie After John Wick Wasn’t As Successful

Knock Knock Was Not A Slam Dunk For Reeves

Given that Knock Knock was the first Keanu Reeves film to come out directly after John Wick, expectations were high to see the iconic actor continue his revitalized career. Unfortunately, Knock Knock was slammed by critics, garnering a measly 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 76 reviews, with an abysmal audience score of just 19%. Given that John Wick had the opposite reaction, it felt like a massive disappointment at the time. Even still, there are still some positives to glean from Keanu Reeves taking a bold swing with a film like Knock Knock.

Knock Knock was the first Hollywood project that Ana de Armas acted in.

The movie was a very modest success at the box office, taking home $6.32 million against a $2 million production budget. Granted, Knock Knock received a very limited run, never playing in more than 22 theaters across the entire United States. Compared to John Wick’s $87.8 million gross, it was a steep drop. In the grand scheme of things, 10 years since it was released, Knock Knock’s performance doesn’t necessarily matter given how massive the John Wick franchise became. With the film’s anniversary, Knock Knock is worth a second look as an underrated, dark gem in Reeves’ filmography.