Every week, Ultimate Movie Year looks back into the past to highlight the best film that came out that weekend.

"John Wick"
Released Oct. 23, 2014
Directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch

For most of his career, Keanu Reeves has been a movie star who was underappreciated, the subject of light mockery that he was always cast in projects above his fighting weight. That all changed with 2014's "John Wick."

Backing up a decade or three, the Canadian actor first gained fame in 1989's "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," a time travel comedy where Reeves played one half of a spacey teen duo. The performance managed to stick with the public more than anybody imagined, as the "Whoa" dude persona influenced how audiences saw him in subsequent movies, whether Reeves wanted it or not. He played spacey in Ron Howard's "Parenthood," and became an FBI agent gone surfing in Kathryn Bigelow's "Point Break," adding to the perception.

In hindsight, perhaps it just took the public a long time to catch up to what Reeves was good at. He quietly put together a filmography filled with diverse choices, working with several Academy Award-winning directors along the way. What was once derided, Reeves' non-verbal facial reactions now manage to convey more to audiences than other actors with a page of dialogue. But perhaps what was the biggest surprise was Reeves turning in engaging performances in some of the most successful and acclaimed action films over several decades, including "Point Break," "Speed" in 1994, "The Matrix" in 1999, and finally, "John Wick."