Keanu Reeves Or Tom Cruise?

PARAMOUNT/SUMMIT/UPROXX

I’ve a confession. This publish initially began with a special query: who’s the best present motion film star? The solely standards was that they needed to be American, which implies Charlize Theron, Scott Adkins, and Jason Statham have been exempt. But that also left Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michelle Rodriguez, Scarlett Johansson, Dave Bautista, Will Smith, and Bruce Willis, amongst others. Those are some A-list actors, but additionally an uninspiring group of motion film stars, whether or not as a result of they’re previous their prime (Willis, Schwarzenegger) or too depending on one franchise (Johnson), or regarded as superheroes somewhat motion stars (Johansson). And I wasn’t prepared to provide it to Jurassic World‘s Chris Pratt, both. No offense, Andy Dwyer.

Besides, I ultimately realized it is a two-person contest: Keanu Reeves or Tom Cruise. They each [extraordinarily “went to film school” voice] kick ass and have been doing so for many years. In truth, earlier than we start, let’s undergo each film in each actor’s filmographies that may be thought-about within the “action” style.

Reeves: Point Break, Speed, Johnny Mnemonic, Chain Reaction, The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Constantine, Street Kings, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Man of Tai Chi, 47 Ronin, John Wick, Keanu (form of!), John Wick: Chapter 2, and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Cruise: Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible 2, Minority Report, The Last Samurai, Collateral, War of the Worlds, Mission: Impossible III, Tropic Thunder (that is Cruise’s Keanu), Knight and Day, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Jack Reacher, Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, The Mummy, American Made, and Mission: Impossible – Fallout

These are the one motion pictures I’m contemplating. No Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure for Reeves, no Jerry Maguire for Cruise (Keanu would clearly win). I’m additionally not taking into consideration the non-public lives for each males (once more, it might be Keanu in a landslide). This is nearly Tom Cruise: Action Movie Star vs. Keanu Reeves: Action Movie Star as decided by way of six separate classes, and now I’m out of the blue upset that they’ve by no means appeared in the identical movie. Reeves in Mission: Impossible 6 makes extra sense than Cruise in John Wick 4, however… I’m stalling as a result of I don’t wish to select; they’re each superior. But to cite one other well-known motion film, there can solely be one.

Signature franchise

Looking on the checklist above, Cruise has solely turned two movies into franchises: Mission: Impossible and Jack Reacher (that checklist is about to develop with Top Gun: Maverick and Edge of 2morrow, assuming it really will get made). The latter is far more enjoyable than its given credit score for, however Cruise’s signature franchise is clearly Mission: Impossible. Reeves additionally has two sequence into account: The Matrix and John Wick. I’m tempted to go together with John Wick, however I do know that’s recency bias speaking: The Matrix is likely one of the most influential motion pictures of all-time. But sadly, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions additionally exist. I can provide a half-hearted protection to the impressed messiness of Reloaded, which is genuinely thrilling at instances, however not Revolutions. I’ve my limits, and my restrict is that this evil chortle. So, if it comes all the way down to Mission: Impossible or The Matrix (MATRIX: IMPOSSIBLE), the winner is the Mission: Impossible motion pictures, which proceed to enhance. Fallout is the sixth movie within the franchise, and one of the best. Imagine what number of cake orgasms would have been within the sixth Matrix film.

Winner: Cruise