With a career that stretches back to 1984, Keanu Reeves has had many iconic roles. He was the warm-hearted doofus Ted Theodore Logan in Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure. He was Neo, the would-be One who knows Kung Fu from The Matrix. He was the Baba Yaga in John Wick.But Reeves most defining role was also his most controversial, one for which he seemed wholly unsuited. When he played the towheaded Brit John Constantine in 2005s Constantine, he finally found a role that fully suited the second half of his career, setting the stage for his transition from spaced-out youngster to soulful man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.Keanu By Any Other NameEarly in Constantine, a dark-haired American man in a thin suit enters the dingy bedroom of a possessed woman. The man crawls over the woman and whispers in her ear, This is Constantine, John Constantine asshole.That declaration would have been a surprise to anyone who read Constantines adventures in the acclaimed Hellblazer series published by DC Comics. Almost immediately after Alan Moore introduced the character in 1985s Swamp Thing #37, penciled by Rick Veitch with a cover from Steve Bissette, John Constantine became a fan favorite. He soon got his own book in 1988, which became one of the most beloved offerings of the Mature Readers Vertigo imprint.Part of Constantines appeal came from his well-defined characteristics. Modeled on Sting from The Police, Constantine had spikey blond hair, a rumpled brown jumper, and an ever-present cigarette. Both charming and cynical, Constantine never fit easily within the world of superheroes, which was partially why noted cape-and-cowl hater Garth Ennis wrote some of the characters best stories.John Constantine of the comics is a thoroughly British character, born from the hopelessness of Thatchers England. He knows that hes smarter than everyone else, but he also knows that it doesnt matter, because humans are just pieces of a game between cosmic forces. In other words, hes exactly the type of character who shouldnt be played by a good-looking actor whos lived almost everywhere except England, best known for physical performances in Hollywood blockbusters. He shouldnt be played by Keanu Reeves.Keanu Reeves Is John ConstantineClose your eyes, Constantine tells police officer Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz). Desperate to find out what truly drove her twin sister, a devout Catholic, to take her own life, Dodson badgers Constantine, who begins to notice something strange occurring around them. He pulls something from within his coat and orders Dodson to look away. When she refuses, he mutters, Suit yourself, and the object in his hands produces tremendous light, revealing an army of demonic creatures surrounding them.They stay in Hell, huh? Constantine asks, mocking a statement Dodson made just moments ago. Tell them that.Just reading the dialogue, its easy to imagine it coming from the raggedy English character of the comics, all snark and bitterness. But thats not the way that Reeves plays it, and not just because hes an American.As the demons burn away, so also does the object that Constantine used to reveal them, and he throws it to the ground. He waves his hands a few times and then wipes them together, infusing the moment with a physicality that director Francis Lawrences reliance on muddy CGI threatens to erase. Constantine stumbles into the foreground, turning back only for a second, to notice Dodson spewing behind him.Dont worry, he tells her. Happens to everyone the first time. Its the sulfur. And then he lights another cigarette.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Even though hes making fun of Dodson, Constantine takes no pleasure in the line. Instead, he sputters it out because he knows that it wont matter, and hes just going through the motions again. Hes been through it all before and now hes very, very tired.Its that feeling of exhaustion that becomes the core of all Keanus best performances.The Tired Lives of Keanu ReevesThe most memorable part of the first John Wick happens late in the film, after John has returned to his violent ways, after hes been asked time and again if hes returning to his bloody job. Captured by the Russian mobster Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), Wick collapses into a chair and listens as his enemy monologues. John stares up through his flop of hair at Viggo pontificating about the nature of a violent life, and waits for a chance to respond.People keep asking if Im back, and I havent really had an answer, Wick finally growls But now, yeah, Im thinking Im back.Its a great line, the type that we love to hear in any revenge action movie. Its the moment when the hero finally fully commits to the life into which hes been thrust, the moment when he angrily declares his supremacy over his enemies.But the secret to the delivery in John Wick isnt just the usual bluster. Its the brief pause he takes after saying Yeah, and the fact that Wick needs a breather before continuing.The John Wick franchise features some of the greatest action visuals of all time, with stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski orchestrating all manner of chaos. Stahelskis long-time collaborations with Reeves helps to bring those scenes to life, but theyre enhanced not just by Reevess ability to do karate chops and choke holds, but his ability to look genuinely winded as he staggers up for the next round or falls against a wall to catch his breath.All of Reevess greatest late-period roles share this quality. Voicing failed stuntman figure Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4 and bitter test subject Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, returning as older and more worn-down versions of standout characters for Bill and Ted Face the Music and The Matrix Resurrections, playing an intimidating neighbor in The Neon Demon and a former love interest in Always Be My MaybeAll of these parts require Reeves to express his characters age, to embody someone with the weight of the world on their shoulders. All of these characters require Reeves to apply the lessons he learned while playing John Constantine.A Tale of Two ConstantinesIn 2014, Matt Ryan took the role of Constantine for a CW series, and then reprised the part on Legends of Tomorrow. The Welsh performer seemed to leap off the page, with a twinkle in his eye and a constant smirk, to say nothing of a proper accent and hair color. The comic book-accurate version that Ryan provided has only made Reevess take stand out as its own thing.Certainly, Ryan would have made different choices when playing the confrontation with the angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) at the end of Constantine. Ryan would have worn an acidic smile when, after Gabriel expresses shock that John judges her, Constantine mocks, Betrayal, murder, genocide? Call me provincial.Between his heavy breathing and Gabriels foot on his face, Reevess Constantine can barely get out the lines, let alone retain some condescending sneer. But thats true to his version of the character, not a cynical wiseacre, but someone so incredibly tired of it all the angels, the demons, and especially the people.Reeves goes on to carry that truth throughout his late-career run, the run that forced people to finally recognize him as an outstanding physical performer. As his apparent miscasting in Constantine shows, Reeves is no chameleon who can disappear into any role. But as his fully realized take on Constantine also shows, hes better than anyone at playing heroes who wear their exhaustion on their face.