Film Review: Keanu Reeves Sleepwalks Through ‘Henry’s Crime’

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CHICAGO – Keanu Reeves is the sort of actor who succeeds in spite of himself. His best work remains in the late ’80s and early ’90s, when he specialized in playing hazy-brained man-children, the best of which may have been Tod Higgins, the goofy race car driver in Ron Howard’s timeless 1989 comedy, “Parenthood.” Reeves transcended the silliness of his character with a performance of disarming warmth.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Unfortunately, the majority of Reeves’ subsequent portrayals have been marked by an underlying blankness. When he’s not required to merely spout catchy one-liners or engage in slow-mo gun battles, Reeves often resembles a human-shaped void. When his facial muscles move and threaten to form an expression, the actor looks profoundly ill at ease. He may in fact be the world’s first flesh-and-blood android.

Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “Henry’s Crime” in our reviews section.

Consider his performance in “Henry’s Crime,” the new would-be charmer from director Malcolm Venville, who has an uncanny knack for garnering A-List ensembles for underwhelming B-movies (his previous effort was the star-studded crime drama “44 Inch Chest”). Reeves plays Henry, an ashen-faced everyman whose life has become as stagnant as the toll booth where he sits. Nothing can rupture his façade of indifference. When his restless wife (Judy Greer) once again expresses her imminent desire for children, Henry sits silently. When his friends trick him into driving the escape car for their secret bank heist, Henry sits silently. When faced with the option of three years in prison or ratting on his backstabbing buddies, Henry…well, you get the drift. What’s worse is that Reeves barely attempts to convey the inner workings of his character’s enigmatic psyche. His maddening nonchalance is reminiscent of Billy Bob Thornton’s titular bystander in the Coen Brothers’ infinitely superior “The Man Who Wasn’t There.” Henry is there, alright, but his mind appears to be elsewhere.

Continue reading for Matt Fagerholm’s full “Henry’s Crime” review.

Keanu Reeves stars in Malcolm Venville’s underwhelming Henry’s Crime.
Photo credit: Maitland Primrose Group