Reeves appeared in five film releases in 2016. The first was Exposed, a crime thriller about a detective who investigates his partner’s death and discovers police corruption along the way. The film received negative reviews for its confused plot, and Reeves was criticized for displaying limited facial expressions.[157][158] His next release, the comedy Keanu, was better received.[159] In it he voiced the eponymous kitten. Reeves then had a minor role in The Neon Demon, a psychological horror directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. He played Hank, a lustful motel owner who appears in Jesse’s (played by Elle Fanning) nightmare.[160] In his fourth release, he played a charismatic leader of a settlement in The Bad Batch.[161] His final release of the year was The Whole Truth, featuring Gabriel Basso, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Renée Zellweger, and Jim Belushi. He played Richard, a defence attorney. Noel Murray of The A.V. Club described it as “moderately clever, reasonably entertaining courtroom drama”, with a skilled cast but overall a “mundane” film.[162] Reeves also appeared in Swedish Dicks, a two-season web television series.[163]
In 2017, Reeves agreed to reprise his role for a sequel in the John Wick franchise, John Wick: Chapter 2. The story carries on from the first film and follows John Wick as he goes on the run when a bounty is placed on him. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $171.5 million worldwide, more than its predecessor.[164] Chris Hewitt of Empire magazine praised Reeves’s performance, which complemented his previous action roles in Point Break and Speed.[165] However, Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times described the picture as “a down-and-dirty B-picture with a lustrous A-picture soul”.[166] Reeves then starred in a drama, To the Bone, in which he plays a doctor helping a young woman with anorexia. It premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, followed by distribution on Netflix in July.[167][168] Early reviews were positive, with praise for its non-glamorized portrayal of anorexia, although the New Statesman magazine thought it was irresponsible.[169] That year, Reeves also made cameo appearances in the films A Happening of Monumental Proportions and SPF-18.[170][171]
